


The Duchess

by BonneyQ



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Gray is The Duke, and he is forced to marry Juvia, but then things happen, like falling in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-09-02 11:45:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 71,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8666290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BonneyQ/pseuds/BonneyQ
Summary: Juvia is eighteen when she is told about her marriage to the Duke of Winter, a man she never met but must marry to save her lands and to finally see more of the world. Gray, the Duke, knows he must wed her since his grandfather promised he would when time came; he doesn't want her. Doesn't want anyone. Will this forced union be just for duty or something else can bloom? [AU]





	1. Chapter 1

 

The March of Rain was governed by the Lancasters for hundreds of years. They were the fearsome Lancaster of the South, Where The Rain Never Stops. They were cold and expressionless and damn right powerful with their own small army, which was necessary, since the March was a forgotten land by the sea and was sometimes attacked.

But the name Lancaster was doomed when the last Marquess had four daughters. He and his wife tried to have a boy, but it never came and even worse, all the girls died before married. All except the youngest.

Stormi Lancaster then married Sylvian Lockser, a Baron from a small island rich in blue diamonds, very rare and very expansive, making the March of Rain a prominent place.

Sadly, the marriage didn't last long; Stormi died in childbirth only two years after the ceremony. The baby survived, a little girl and the tradition of the Lancaster family was to name the children in honor to the rain, so she named her Juvia. Baron Lockser was devastated with the death of his wife; so devastated that he couldn't even look to his daughter straight, seeing that the girl was almost a copy of her mother.

When Juvia was three, after an attack of pirates to one of the ships containing the blue diamonds, Baron Sylvian Lockser was killed while protecting the jewels. A couple of years later at such an early age of five, Juvia Lockser became the Marchioness of the Rain when her grandfather died.

Of course the vultures appeared to take advantage of her naivety; she was too young when it all happened and bending her to their own agenda would’ve been incredibly easy.

The one to push them all away was Jose Porla, the advisor of the late Marquess and Baron Lockser. He was already an aged man who always treated the young Marchioness with kindness, even though he was very strict and had many rules to keep her safe of everything that could harm her. Sadly, his overprotective nature made her miss out most of the fun of being a child.

According to Master Jose, as he was called, the world was a very awful place and it should be avoided at any cost. But Juvia was skeptical; she had seen the images in her books and there was no way that people who lived under the beautiful sun was evil.

The sun.

She never actually saw the sky without clouds or a day without rain. She did live at the March of Rain, Where The Rain Never Stops. She dreamt of bathing in sunlight and wondered about how it would make her feel, warm, certainly but what else? Not that Master Jose would ever let her go away from the March, of course, but she was allowed to dream.

She was the Marchioness but felt like a prisoner where it was supposed to be her home.

Juvia never felt like she was in her own house; everyone treated her as if she were the second in command, putting all of Master Jose's words above any order that she could give.

 _He_ was the master, not a silly eighteen-year-old girl who grew up sheltered of everything. No, people wouldn't take orders from a person like her. She was weak, while he was strong; Porla had more experience, so she just lowered her head and trusted that everything he did was for her people's best interest.

Juvia's routine was quite boring, if anyone asked her; during the morning she had her breakfast, then class with her private teacher. After lunch, she sew, painted and had dance lessons. And after dinner, she was free to read until bed time – Master Jose knew that the Marchioness was fond of her books and allowed her to dive into them.

One day, though, when Jose asked her to see him at his office she knew that something big was going to happen but never guessed _how_ big was going to be.

"Master?" Juvia knocked at the door and opened slowly. She was eighteen and still very young, compared to the fifty-year-old man. Her hair was blue, like her mother's once were and to honor her memory, Juvia used the same hairstyle: curled by the end. She had average height, even though she was taller than the other young women from the March; Rain people were usually smaller than the rest. Her dress was dark blue and was designed to make her look as plain as possible.

"Come in." Master Jose said from inside the room that once belonged to the Marquess, Juvia's grandfather. The man was too thin and had a moustache, his hair was still dark, even though he wasn’t young anymore and his eyes… the Marchioness always compared it to an eagle's eyes; they seemed to see everything. He turned away from the big window, which was showing the rain, of course, and smiled. "How are you doing, child? Your teachers only had the best praises towards you."

"Thanks, Master." Juvia made a small courtesy and offered the man s smile. "They are very kind, but Juvia thinks she's just average in everything she does."

Jose sighed. "You still talk in third person, child?" He asked shaking his head slightly in disapproval. "You're a young woman now and shouldn't do it anymore."

"Juv…" The girl started but stopped almost immediately, correcting herself. " _I_ am sorry. I'll try to correct myself from now on."

"That's a good girl." Jose grinned. "Now sit, child." He pointed a chair in front of the table. "We need to talk seriously."

The Marchioness frowned and did as she was told. The older man waited her to sit, as it was customary, and did it too. Juvia couldn't help but think of how much better he looked sitting where many of the Marquess of the Rain sat before, much better than she would and it upset her to realize how much of a child she was when it came to the leadership of the March.

"What is it, Master?" She asked when they were finally settled.

"You're eighteen now, Juvia." Jose was sitting straight, like a nobleman would sit. "And most of the noble girls with that age are already having their second child by this age."

The Marchioness stomach fluttered with his words. "Do you mean that…?"

"Yes." He nodded. "I found a very suitable husband for you. One that would make the March profits, of course."

The young woman's head was spinning with the idea. She had waited so long to hear those words. All she ever wanted was to finally get married, fall in love with her husband and for him to fall for her as well, like happened with her parents, as her aya told her a thousand times. She spoke of how Baron Sylvian would smile with just the sight of his beloved and how Stormi would sing without apparent reason but everyone knew it was because of her husband.

And now it was her turn.

"Really?" Juvia said happily. "Who is he? Do I know him? When can I meet him? Is he handsome and fearless?"

Jose chuckled with her excitement. "The proposal was made through official letters. I never met him, child."

"Never?" The Marchioness thought it was strange. Jose knew every nobleman in the March.

"I am afraid that this man I am talking about is not from here." The old man said with caution; he didn't want to scare the girl.

"Not from here?" The blue haired woman frowned. "Is he from one of the Islands?"

The March had most of its lands in the continent, but also had seven islands, not too big, so the probability was that Master had found a Baron or a Baronet for her to engage.

"No." Jose leaned to the back of his chair. "The young man I am talking about is the Duke of the Ice Lands." All color was drained of Juvia's face.

 _The Ice Lands_.

She had read about it so many times in her books that she could picture the white desert that the place was perfectly in her mind. She had read about how _barbaric_ the people from that duchy were, how the animals were twice as savages and how cold it was. Enough to freeze a man to the bone during the night, one book said.

The Duchy of the Ice Lands had its borders with the March of the Rain and was the biggest Duchy in all Kingdom of Fiore. In the bottom of the land of the Kingdom was the March of Rain and right above it was the Duchy of the Ice Lands with thousands of kilometers of snow and ice. The March of Rain was big, but it was nothing compared to the four Duchies of Fiore: South was the Duchy of Winter, known as Ice Lands. Going north there was the Duchy of Fall, a little west there was the Duchy of Summer and going east, there was the Duchy of Spring.

The reason why people would rather travel by ship to the March of Rain instead of passing through the Ice Lands was because of how afraid everyone was to go there.

Juvia shuddered with the thought.

"B-but…" She tried to say.

"I know, child. I know that it's not your desire to go to that place, but…" Jose sighed. "You need to know the truth."

"What truth?" Juvia asked with curiosity.

"The blue diamonds. They're disappearing quickly."

She was surprised. "What? But the diamonds are our primary way of gaining money. Without it, would be…"

"The end of the March." Jose sighed deeply. "That situation has been bothering me for quite some time, child."

"You… you should have told me!" Juvia got up from her chair and started to walk from one side to another. "I would've…"

" _What_ , Juvia?" The man rested his elbows in the table. "What would have you done to prevent this to happening? You, that is nothing more than a child."

Juvia knew he was right. It wasn't something she could change, not when not even Master did. It was impossible for her to come up with something to help the situation.

"How did that happen?" She asked quietly. "The Islands were full of diamonds."

"Pirate attacks." Jose said and they stayed a few minutes in silence while the girl was thinking.

It made sense; the pirates from Across The Sea were dangerous and were always attacking the ships with the diamonds. It was like they knew exactly when to attack.

"But I thought that we hired more sailors to make it safer." The Marchioness said in confusion. If there were more men, the ships were supposed to be more secure.

"Those hires were paid with the money we make by selling the diamonds, and more men didn't prevent the pirates of acting." Master rested his chin in his hands. "The situation of the March is severe, child. We _need_ this marriage."

The Marchioness chews her lower lip. She knew how much he hated asking for help, and if the Master was telling that she was needed, that meant that the situation was bad.

"This… _Duke_." She said after some thought. "How can he help us?"

"The Ice Lands have The Mines and they're full of gold, my child. The duchy is one of the richest in Fiore. If you marry the Duke our problems of money will be solved." Jose said calmly. "You would be a Duchess. You could help all the people from the March. Thousands of lives."

The man knew of how helpless the Marchioness felt when she couldn't do anything to help the people she was supposed to take care of. "And I would need to move from the March?" She asked. "Go to the Ice Lands?"

"Yes. You would need to live with your husband, child." The man nodded. "This is the only way."

She became silent for some time, then straightens up her body and, as a noble she was, spoke clearly.

"If that what needs to be done to save the March, it is my duty as the Marchioness to do so." She lifted her chin. "When do I leave?"

**#**

When the girl left the room, Jose grinned. She was so easy to manipulate. So easy to see through and control. During all those years, he had been waiting, planning and calculating every move and now it was time. It was time for him to have it all.

He got up and walked to a small table which contained the drinks. He poured some to himself and drank some. Years before, people laughed at his face, sneered at him and there he was now, controlling the March.

It was not enough. Still, wasn’t enough.

"Now my reign can finally start." He said looking outside the window, to the sea. "After all this time, it is time for my plan to start. I will have it _all_."

 


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a week since Jose Porla informed the Marchioness about the plans of the arranged marriage with the Duke of the Ice Lands and she had been packing all her belongings. Finally the next day she would go away from Storm Rock, her Castle, to the Duchy of Winter.

She had never, _ever_ left the Castle's boundaries.

Of course Juvia knew that her March was bigger than the March of Rocks, not as big as the March of Thunder, though, but it was a piece of land that was very well located for trades with Beyond the Sea. And even so, she never left to see it.

Eighteen years between walls. She was a prisoner.

If she were true to herself, she was terrified of going away to a place she knew nothing about. Juvia dreamt for her whole life to explore the world and when she was finally leaving the house she grew up in, she was scared. What could she expect? She heard that the people from the Ice Lands were rude and ate cold food with their bare hands. Juvia even heard that when the cold was too severe and they had no food whatsoever, the Ice Land People ate their pets.

And she was going to live there.

The Marchioness shuddered with the thought and left her suitcase above the bed and walked towards her window. Looking outside she had the sight of the ocean. Storm Rock was located right above a rock, as its name informed, beside a cliff and Juvia's window gave her the full view of the grayish and fierce ocean, which combined with the grayish clouds that never leave the March of Rain.

Her life could be defined by that color: gray.

Not black, not white. The middle one.

When asked about the name of her future husband, Master Jose had told her that his name was also Gray. Gray Fullbuster.

The Marchioness almost immediately thought that it could only be a prank from destiny. Why on earth all her life would be around that stupid color? Everywhere she looked, there was it! On the servants’ clothes, on the walls of Storm Rock, on the horses from the stable and on the books from the library! Even in the sky! In the sea!

' _Everywhere_.' She thought hopeless.

Was it too much to ask that her life was more… colorful?

She wanted to be able to see the blue sky. The yellow sun; the red roses and green grass; like the ones she read about in her gray books. She wanted to see the colorful birds from the east. The red and orange from the volcanos. The orange leaves from the Fall Forests. She wanted to see the rainbows from day and night.

But at the very moment she decided to go to the Ice Lands, she was doomed to never know them; she would be just trading the shades of gray for another boring color: white.

Juvia could picture in her mind the desert of white and such cold that could freeze her bones and she hugged her own body as if she could feel the cold coming her way.

Nevertheless, looking at the gray ocean she was calmer. Whenever she was depressed, she would sit close to the window and look to the fierce sea and it would always calm her down and take whatever problem that was on her mind away. Maybe it was the sounds of waves, or the way the water moved. She never understood why, but it made her feel not alone.

The Marchioness sighed and went back to her suitcase. Her new life would begin in the next day.

**#**

After three days of deeply discomfort, Juvia finally went to the deck. Since she stepped into the ship she was feeling deeply nauseated; so much that her aya forbade her to leave the dependencies until she felt comfortable enough. During the night of day one, they faced a storm and for a moment, everyone thought death was certain, but gladly the storm passed.

The trip to the Duchy of Winter or Ice Lands as it was known, would take a week by ship, while by land, almost a month, given the length of land between Storm Rock and the Avalanche Castle, where Juvia was supposed to meet her promised fiancée.

"It's cold!" Juvia said when got up from bed in the morning of day three. Her aya, Marge, offered the Marchioness a dress with long sleeves and a coat to put above it. Marge was a middle-aged woman and she has been taking care of Juvia since she was a baby.

"You don't need to go outside, girl!" Marge said in disapproval when saw the young woman going to the door after getting dressed and eating her light breakfast.

"Juvia doesn't _need_ to go, but she _wants_ to." The blue haired woman offered the old aya a smile. "Juvia is feeling better and if she stays another minute in here, she'll die of boredom." She opened the door and a cold wind entered the room and the girl hesitated for a moment. It was _really_ cold.

"If you are bored, you can sew with me!" Marge said and it was all incentive Juvia needed to go out of there as fast as her feet could take her.

**#**

If someone had told her that she would actually _like_ to go out and see what her new home would be like, Juvia would think that the person was crazy, but what she was seeing… she actually enjoyed it.

The Marchioness looked around and she couldn't believe that the sky was that blue, with a few white clouds. _White_! The clouds there were really white and looked like cotton, not the heavy clouds from Where The Rain Never Stops.

Juvia stepped between the sailors who were passing and walked until she reached the border of the ship and looked to the sea and it surprised her that it was deep blue, not grayish as the sea back in Storm Rock was. And what surprised her also, were the big pieces of ice that the ship was passing between.

The ice was so white that it made her eyes hurt a bit because there was sunlight (sunlight!) reflecting into it and they were so big, bigger than her castle if she would guess. And Storm Rock was no small thing.

"They call them Icebergs." A known voice came from behind her and Juvia looked to the direction of it with a smile on her face.

"Gajeel-kun!"

The man had long black hair and a few piercings on his eyebrows, nose, chin and ears. The other piercings were hidden by the large black coat he was wearing. His eyes were red like blood and his face was a little scary, making most of people afraid of him.

And the sword he always carried tied on his waist didn't make him friendly either.

But Juvia was never scared of him. He was the closest thing Juvia had to a friend.

Even though they were very different, she was a Marchioness and he had a doubtful past, they got along almost since the very first time they met. Jose Porla put Gajeel Redfox in charge of Juvia's security since then. Of course, he was going to the Ice Lands with her.

"I see you can be on your feet now." He teased her with a smirk on his face.

"Shut up!" Juvia slapped his arm playfully when he came to stay by her side. "You know Juvia never traveled before."

"It's your own fault." Gajeel shrugged. He was leaning his back on the border of the ship casually and looking up to the sky, while the Marchioness was looking to the big pieces of ice in front of her with adoration. Icebergs, he said they were. "I told you to get the hell out when you wanted to, but you were too much of a chicken to do so."

Juvia giggled with it. He was the only person that could make her laugh like that and also the only one to call her anything other than Lady or Marchioness. Usually she would be very embarrassed with cussing, but she learned that it was Gajeel's way to be, so she didn't complain; she liked the company.

"Now Juvia's traveling." She shrugged.

"Yeah. To marry god knows who." He growled. Since the moment the news of her marriage reached his ears he disapproved and wasn't even trying to be subtle about it. "And people say that _I_ am the crazy one."

"Let's not start with this again, Gajeel-kun." Juvia sighed. "The engagement is already a fact."

"Yeah, but…" He turned to be leaning on the border with the front of his body instead of the back. "You never even met the guy. What if he's an old pervert? A disgusting man?"

"Then Juvia will need to adapt to it. The people from the March need a good life and if Juvia can provide that by marrying him, so be it." She shrugged again and Gajeel looked like he was about to strangle the determination out of her body. "And you know what, Gajeel-kun? It sounds like you are _worried_ about Juvia…" She teased him and he rolled his eyes.

"Stupid. It's my job to protect you."

"It's your job. Sure." She smiled to him and looked back to the Icebergs. Everything was so quiet. There wasn't any wind so they were using the paddles and it was the only sound between those gigantic pieces of ice.

"People say that when you see an Iceberg," Gajeel started after a few minutes of silence. "The part above the sea is just the decoy. The _real_ Iceberg is underneath the water and it is about ten times bigger than the piece you can actually see." The Marchioness looked at him in question, because it sounded like he was talking about something else entirely. "Don't let what you see deceive you, Juvia. Because what you know, is what _they_ want you to know. Always ask yourself if whatever is told to you is just the tip of the Iceberg or it is something ten times bigger than what you know."

"What you mean?" The blue haired woman frowned in question.

"Just keep that in mind." Gajeel stared at the woman for some time and then looked back to the sea. The ship was already leaving two Icebergs and they could see the Icy Ocean fully. The Marchioness was confused with his words, which was good, because that way she wouldn't forget about it. "Are those whales?"

Juvia exclaimed excited when saw the big animals and they dropped the subject.

**#**

When returning to his own room in the ship after spending hours talking to Juvia about whales and other animals which she could find in the Duchy of Winter, he was tired. The girl would look for any information about the land she could get! They talked about some customs of the land, such as eating the pets (which was a lie) and freezing while sleeping (true if you were stupid enough to sleep without clothes and outside).

Gajeel chuckled to himself. Juvia talked so much nonsense that was actually very entertaining.

He suddenly tensed as Master Jose appeared in front of him, coming from one of the rooms and Gajeel's hand was immediately on the sword he always carried and even though he was a subordinate of the man, he didn't rest in his presence. Not for a second.

"I could've cut you, old man."

Jose's eyes narrowed with that and he stared to the other man for some seconds. "If you try to tell her about my plans again…"

"I didn't." Gajeel growled. "We were talking about Icebergs."

"Call it whatever you want, _boy_." Jose said the word as if was an insult. "You are only alive because I want you to, because I need you to keep an eye on her when I leave. _Only_ for that reason. Don’t make me regret my decision."

Gajeel's eyes widened for a moment and then he felt the anger arise. "Do _not_ threaten me, old man." Gajeel's grip on the sword was even stronger than before. "I am not a kid and I sure don’t cut like one.”

"I am not threatening you." Jose offered him a creepy smile. "You know _who_ I _am_ threatening. You don’t know everything, Gajeel. I am inclined to let Juvia be because I have leverage over you but I don’t _have_ to in order to get what I want." The Marchioness's Chief of Guard narrowed his eyes. "And you have been around long enough to know what I can do."

Master Jose continued to walk and Gajeel punched the wall in frustration. If he hated anyone, was that man.

And if he hated anything, was to be powerless.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Excitement and fear washed over Juvia while looking outside the tiny window of the quarters she shared with her old aya; they had finally arrived at the Ice Lands.

From where she was standing, the Marchioness could only see the docks and she was surprised when noticed that things weren't all white like it was in her thoughts. The port had ships from all over the country, as the flags were signing. She observed four ships from the Duchy of Summer their flag with the symbol of three yellow Suns side by side; two ships with the official brand of the Duchy of Spring: four tulips with a yellow background.

And of course, she could see lots of ships with the flag of The Duchy of Winter: two white icebergs with a dark blue background.

The Marchioness could also see the different people. There were some with white hair, yellow hair, pink hair and she even spotted one with green hair! Back at the March, everyone had dark hair and wore grayish clothes, while Ice Land people wore colorful coats.

"This is the Ice Lands…" Juvia whispered to herself and she felt butterflies in her stomach. That was the land she would live from that moment on. Would she be well accepted there? Or people would treat her badly?

"Girl." Marge, the aya, said. "Don't let your hopes up too much. You don't know these people."

"Juvia knows, Marge." The Marchioness said still looking outside. "Juvia knows."

**#**

"Enter." Juvia's soft voice was heard through the door and Jose Porla opened it. The man smiled widely when he saw the young girl. She was wearing a dark blue dress with long sleeves, which had white fur by the wrists. Her hair was still in her usual curls but this time she was wearing a hat over it.

"You look nice, child." Jose said and entered the room, offering a stare to the aya, who immediately ran away from the room as she always did when that man appeared to talk to the Marchioness; and with reason, since everyone knew how fearsome he could be. He was a powerful man, after all.

"Thank you." Juvia smile widened with the compliment. It wasn't usual for people from the March to say nice things to one another; they usually kept their opinion to themselves. Actually, they usually kept _everything_ to themselves. "Juvia is so nervous…" Jose looked at her severely for a second and she corrected herself. " _I_ am so nervous about our arrival."

"I know, child." Jose walked towards the young woman and put a hand on her face. "This is the moment everything's gonna change for us."

Juvia nodded understanding what he was saying. Since she was a child, she knew that whenever she married, it would be to benefit the March and its people, and that was the reason she was born in a noble family.

The Marchioness believed that everything happened for a reason, and the marriage was a part of a bigger plan from fate, destiny or whatever people would like to call. She had to believe in _something_ , otherwise, what else would be the reason she lost her parents so early? What else would be the reason her father ignored her? What else would be the reason Jose Porla raised her?

Destiny _had_ to have a bigger purpose to her.

"And Juv…" She stopped herself before Master could give her a look. "I will do everything in my power to make the March grow with this wedding."

"You are a good child." Jose smiled, pleased with her and deep inside, Juvia was happy to fulfill his expectations as if she were again five years old. "You remind me of your mother."

She always liked to hear him say that. It reminded her that she had a mother once; that she had a family, even if she had them for a few minutes when she couldn't even remember.

During her life, Juvia always tried to fit in somewhere and never did. Not in her castle, that's for sure. Even when she saw the pictures from her ancestors and saw the resemblance to herself, Juvia would think how much different her life would've been if she had someone left alive with her own blood to teach her everything about running a land.

"Thank you, Master." The blue haired woman said smiling softly.

"Anyway…" Jose's face darkened. "We have arrived; and child… we'll be going to Avalanche Castle in an hour."

"Yes." The Marchioness nodded.

"And I have to warn you again that not every person from this place likes the idea of a foreigner marry the Duke." Jose crossed his arms. "So, I need you to be extra careful until the ceremony."

"Yes, Master." Juvia nodded again.

Master Jose explained to her that some people opposed to the ceremony because it would bring out the March of Rain of its crisis, and somehow put the Duchy in a doubtful situation. Which was unlikely since the Ice Lands had a handful of mountains full of gold.

"You need to make him help the March, Juvia." Jose said looking extremely worried. "You have to gain his trust, so he can see the situation back home."

"I'll try my best, Master."

' _Juvia will help her people. She will help everyone that put their hopes on her_ ' She thought and really hoped that she would actually do something right once in her life.

**#**

Juvia didn't understand why she needed to wear a hood and why all of her personal guards were surrounding her and when asked about it to Master Jose, who was standing by her side, the old man just smiled sweetly at her.

"It's a foreign land, my child." He patted the hand he was holding lightly. "We never know who might want to harm you."

Juvia frowned when heard Gajeel snort from in front of her and looked to Porla again, only to see a glimpse of rage in his eyes, but lasted a moment; it was so fast that she thought it was all in her mind.

"It's the Ame Onna!" Someone from the big group waiting for her to came out yelled and Juvia was surprised, even if she knew that she wasn't welcomed there.

"Go back to where you're from!" Another voice yelled.

"This is the Ice Lands! We don't want any rain, Ame Onna!"

The insults kept coming, again and again. With each word, it was like a knife was piercing through Juvia's heart. If that's what she would expect from the people, she would be better off back in the March.

"Out of the way!" Gajeel yelled and pushed some people away, while was trying to guide Juvia and Jose through the crowd.

Gajeel was trying to be an understanding guy and not kill anyone like Jose asked him to; killing a person from the Duchy of Winter at the arrival day would not be good, but those idiotic morons were pissing him off. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a tearful Juvia and, even though he would never admit it, he felt bad for her needing to go through all of that; but said nothing. Instead, he would take his frustration on the first person that threatened the young Marchioness again.

By the corner of his eye, he saw a small hooded figure reach for something inside his hood. Imagining it was some kind of knife; Gajeel didn't even blink before reach the man's neck as fast as he could and throw him on the muddy ground with all his strength, and kept him there.

Except that the person with the hood wasn't holding a knife.

It was a bunch of flowers.

And wasn't a ' _he_ '; was a ' _she_ '.

Gajeel frowned when looked to the petite young girl he was holding on the floor; she had brownish eyes and light blue hair and she looked terrified and confused.

"Gajeel-kun!" Juvia shrieked when she saw the blue haired girl's terrified face. "Let her go!"

He looked strangely to the terrified small figure he was holding on the ground and for a moment considered let her go, but time had taught him to not trust easily. Juvia was too trustworthy and he had to watch her back, otherwise she would end up hurt somehow.

"Who are you?" Gajeel growled to the petit woman and tightened his grip on her neck.

"I… I…" The girl tried to say something, but her breath was hard because of his hand and she was scared out of her life.

"She can't talk! Let her go!" Juvia grabbed his arm and pulled, but he was too strong. Gajeel looked to Jose, who nodded and the younger man loosened his grip on her neck.

"Talk. _Now_." He said dangerously; Gajeel didn't let the girl get up.

Gasping for air, the young woman looked to his red eyes in utter horror, and with a quiet voice she said, sobbing:

"M-my na-name is Le-Levy. Levy McGarden and I… I wa-was sent f-from Avalanche Ca-Castle to wel-welcome the Marchioness."


	4. Chapter 4

 Inside the carriage with her aya, Master Jose and the small girl, Juvia was feeling a little overwhelmed with all that happened. It had been a shock to see people offending her and she was even more shocked when that young woman, Levy as she said, had been there to welcome the people from the March of the Rain.

"Levy-san… Again, Juvia's sorry…" Jose coughed and Juvia quickly corrected herself. Again. She really needed to stop that. " _I_ am sorry that Gajeel-kun did that, he's really not that scary. You know… once you _know_ him."

The blue haired woman still her eyes wide and was still terrified of what happened, despite Juvia’s attempts to make her calm down.

"It's alright, Marchioness." She said with a small voice. "It just took me by surprise."

Juvia bit her lower lip and looked at Master Jose for guidance; he shrugged her off but he talked to the girl.

"How long until we get to Avalanche Castle, girl?" He asked, rather rudely, thought Juvia. The petite woman had a big scare back at the Icy Port – she was still shaking and had a small hand on her throat where Gajeel had grabbed her.

"About an hour, sir." Levy said and the carriage fell into silence again.

With hesitation, Juvia let the matter out of her mind and turned to look outside of her tiny window. Besides the carriage, there were some men in white horses, wearing white clothes as well and most of them had the hood over their heads, and she was sure people, from afar, would take a while to see them.

The ones in brown and black horses belonged to the cortege that came with her in the ship from the March. Gajeel was in a black horse and she could see the smoke that came out every time he took a breath. He noticed her looking to him and made a face.

As the wind blew strongly, Juvia couldn't hear what he mumbled to her, but reading his lips she could understand that he said: " _It's fucking cold._ "

Juvia offered him a small smile, apologizing without any words. And Gajeel just rolled his eyes.

Looking beyond the riders, she could see the forest they were passing between. The Pine trees were huge. The ground (and a few branches of the trees) were very white, giving a contrast with the green. She wondered what was like inside the forest and if she would ever get the chance to see it.

The cold wind blew into her face and instead of scaring her, since the unknown waited for her, it sent chills down her spine and it wasn't a bad chill either. It was a chill she only felt a few times in her whole life.

She was _excited_ with what her new life would bring.

**#**

Avalanche Castle was no small thing.

The Marchioness was stunned when she saw the grayish stones that formed the castle. In her mind, the place she was going to live from now on, it would be a… well, she was not proud to say that she pictured a small _iglu_ made of heavy pieces of ice. Instead, she found a big castle build with rocks, like her own Storm Rock back at the March.

To enter the limits of the castle, they had to pass through a small village that surrounded the place and people would raise their heads as the carriage passed because of the different people riding colorful horses, unlike the white ones that were always found in the guard.

And others, because they wanted to catch a glimpse of the Ame Onna.

Juvia didn't like the nickname very much. It was like it was an implication that she was the one that brought rain to her homeland and that she would do the exact same thing to this place. Even though she knew they said those things because they didn't know better and that they were afraid; it still hurt to be mistaken for someone so gloomy that would seem like there was rain surrounding them.

"We're almost there." The Marchioness heard Levy say with her small voice and Juvia nodded.

She had arrived.

**#**

"Welcome to Avalance Castle!" Juvia heard as soon as the big door opened, revealing the well illuminated place. From outside, she would never guess that the light was actually getting inside, she didn't see the big windows that were located behind the castle, where the sun shone during the afternoon; and even more shocking: it was _warm_. She could easily stay there without a coat, like she was.

In her imagination, the castle would be as cold inside as it was outside. And thoughts like that made her feel ignorant.

"Thank you." The Marchioness said and looked to the smiling orange haired man who was coming towards them. "Are you…?"

"The Duke? No." The said man smiled kindly to her. "My name is Loke and I am his personal Guard, and Lieutenant of the Avalanche Castle Guard." The man stepped closer to Juvia and took her hand. He bent over and kissed it slightly, without looking away from her eyes. "And you, my beautiful, are…?"

"Ju-Juvia Lockser." The girl was startled with the man's… _advances_.

Surprise crossed his handsome features as he stood once again, letting go of her hand and straightening his posture.

"The Marchioness?" He asked. "I thought that…" He looked behind Juvia, where Master Jose, the aya Marge and a hooded Levy were.

"What?" Juvia asked, confused herself.

"My apologies, ma'am." He formally put a hand over his stomach and leaned with respect. "I didn't know that you were the Marchioness. I thought that she was." He pointed to Levy, who was wearing a fine dark blue cape, which belonged to Juvia. The Marchioness felt bad for the young girl and lent her the cape so people couldn't see the bruise on her neck.

While they were exchanging those words, Levy started to leave without them notice.

"It is alright." Juvia smiled softly. "It is nice to meet you, Loke-san."

"Likewise." He offered her a smile.

"Where's the Duke, boy?" Master Jose asked.

Loke turned to the older man, still smiling, but Juvia noticed that behind the glasses he was wearing, he lost the humor. "He's at the office dealing with some arrangements for the wedding. But I will tell him you arrived. And you are…?"

"Jose Porla." He responded narrowing his eyes.

"I'll tell him you're here, Porle." Loke nodded and Juvia knew that he mistaken his name on purpose.

"Porla. _La_!" Jose said a little bit too angrily.

"Yes. Por- _la_." The orange haired man tried to suppress a smirk when heard a small giggle from Juvia. "Now, the maids will show your rooms. Marchioness." He bowed to her and smiled to the aya, barely acknowledging Jose while they followed a young woman.

Inside her chest, something happened.

Loke didn't know (or maybe he did), but no one ever had treated her with more respect than Jose and for the first time in her life, she felt like the Marchioness she was.

**#**

Gray Fullbuster, the Duke of the Ice Lands looked like he was a cold man to whoever didn't know him. People often mistook his attitude with coldness, while he was blunt and clueless about what people might think of him; it wasn't as if he did it on purpose. And his imminent marriage made him even ruder without realize.

What the hell his grandfather was thinking when he set this ridiculous thing up?

' _The 31st Duke of the Duchy of Winter is bound to be married to the granddaughter of the 29th Marquess of the March of Rain, when she reaches the age of eighteen_.'? He remembered the exact words the official document had, and groaned. The old fart was probably laughing his ass off in the afterlife while Gray was caught between an arranged marriage and running the Duchy that he never intended to inherit in the first place. If there was only someone else of his family that wanted to be a freaking _Duke_!

"You look excited." The Duke looked away from the window and stared to his long-term friend and personal guard.

"Shut up, Loke." Gray mumbled and the other man laughed.

The contrast between them was so intense, and even so people could see that there was a bond between the two. From one side, Loke was bright with his orange hair and easy personality while Gray had his dark hair and cold attitude towards people.

"I just saw your bride arriving." Loke was wearing the standard dark clothes of the castle's guard and his glasses were covering his brown eyes. He had a sword on his waist and his hand was resting on it without even realize he was doing it. "Why didn't you go to welcome her?"

"It's a damn rule to not see the bride until we're getting married. Probably so the groom can't run away, since there _are_ some precedents." Gray groaned. "There's a ceremony tomorrow to make us engaged and with no way out."

"So, until tomorrow, there's a way to get out of it?" Loke asked interested.

"No." Gray sighed. "My grandfather was specific and since I _am_ the 31st duke and she _is_ the granddaughter of the 29th Marquess, it's done. I can't get out of it." Loke looked to Gray with a knowing look and Gray sighed, understanding full well where he was getting at. "Don't even mention _that_. It is done. She's here already."

Loke stared to his friend for a few seconds, before saying:

"And why they had this arrangement anyways?" The orange haired man frowned. "I thought that it was messy to marry people that are heirs to a big pieces of land."

"It is." The Duke sighed again. "But apparently, the two old men were friends or something and since their children were already married when they came up with this _stupidity_ , they realized that my grandfather had grandsons, while the Marquess had a granddaughter. So, they made it official." Gray rolled his eyes. "Stupid old men."

"That sucks." Loke nodded. "Especially with a bride like _that_."

 _That_ got the young Duke's attention. He frowned and asked: "Like _what_?"

"You know…" Loke made a face.

"W-What?" Gray's eyes became huge with the words.

The soldier put a hand on his mouth, as if to prevent himself to puke. "Let me tell you something, pal. Don't be deceived: just because she's from Where The Rain Never Stops, it doesn't mean she takes a bath every day. The smell…" Loke shuddered. "Good luck having a little Duke or Duchess with her."

Gray narrowed his eyes and after some seconds, said: "Liar."

The orange haired man smirked. "Was it too much?"

"Yes." Gray couldn't help but smirk as well. "You should've stopped and let me guess."

"My bad. I was having too much fun with your horrified face." Loke smile was big now and they stayed in silence for some time, before he broke it. "But seriously, man. I saw the Ame Onna."

"Tell me the truth now." Gray sighed, tired. The whole arrangement was making him have a huge headache. "With my luck, I am not expecting her to be beautiful, or anything, not that it matters since I will marry her either way. Is she at least pleasant to _talk_ to?"

"I'll not enter in many details, but I'll tell you that you can do a lot worse than that girl." Loke smirked and Gray looked strangely at him. "Oh, and an old man who came with her wants to talk to you. Porle, or something."

 


	5. Chapter 5

"Come in." Gray sighed and got up from his chair. It had been five minutes since Loke left his office, so he knew that it was the Porle guy outside. And he was right.

The man was tall, Gray gave him that. His face was long, making his really long chin seem even longer with the thin mustache. His black hair was straight and almost hitting his shoulders. His eyes were a bit too small and weirdly shaped, but what brought Gray's attention, was the way that the man thought he owned everything around him.

And that bothered Gray somehow.

"Duke Fullbuster." The older man bowed a little and Gray nodded, acknowledging his presence. And usually, he would ask to not be called Duke, just Gray, but his gut screamed to let it be perfectly clear who was the higher ranked there. And his gut was yet to let him down.

"You must be Jose Porle." He said, using the 'Duke-Tone' as Gray called; it was the way his voice would be automatically cold and distant, to put people in their places. It was quite rare for him to use it, but Gray found himself uneasy in the other man's presence.

"It's Porla. Lah." The older man's eye twitched a little and Gray continued to look stoic as ever, but wondered why Loke had wronged the name. It had to be intentional; Loke had a very good memory and to tell Gray the wrong name; he must have had his reasons.

"I was informed that you wanted to talk to me, Porla." Gray said, not that patient.

"Yes." Master Jose looked to the chair in front of the Duke's desk and Gray nodded, sitting in his own chair. After the Duke sat, the older man did the same. "I want to talk to you about the March of Rain."

"Talk."

"Our land is having a bit of a money problem right now." Jose said and Gray frowned a bit. That place and its Islands were rich in blue diamonds, why were they having problems? "Our ships are getting robbed more and more often. And I humbly request the help from the Ice Lands."

"You're asking for help?" Gray raised his eyebrows. "A better strategy would be to make my future wife ask it when I am pleased with her. So, why are _you_ the one asking?"

"Because the Marchioness is a little… _light headed_." Jose sighed with sorrow. "She's a good girl, but she was not cut to be a Marchioness. That's why I was the one running the March up until now." Gray narrowed his eyes. Even though he hadn't met his fiancée, he felt insulted by this.

"Then why didn't you try to teach her how to run her own lands?" The Duke asked, still cold.

"She didn't want to know, sir." Jose looked to Gray right into his eyes and then down. "She wanted to learn how to sew, and how to be a proper lady. How could've I said no?"

"I see." Gray nodded. "So you're the one who took over and managed the March but then the ships began to get robbed?"

"Yes." Porla nodded.

"I'll see what I can do." Gray said and Jose got up from the chair.

"Thank you, sir." He bowed once again, but in his eye, the Duke saw that he preferred to be taking his own kidney with his bare hands than bowing.

When Porla was finally gone, Gray let out a breath.

"That is one creepy man."

**#**

Juvia sat looked down, seeing that her aya was asleep. She was designed to be in a very fancy room and Marge was sleeping with her, of course. The woman was her shadow since the moment that her marriage was announced and the Marchioness was sure that Master Jose was the one who put her into it, afraid that Juvia might run away.

It didn't matter how many times she had said that she wasn't going to run away, they never believed in her.

Carefully, Juvia pulled the sheets away and got up, jumping a little because of the coldness of the floor.

"Shoot!" She mumbled while putting her furred boots. Still as quietly as she could, she took her coat and went to the door, opening it slowly; once she could see outside, she saw that Gajeel, who was guarding her bedroom, was asleep.

Taking this rare opportunity, Juvia got out of the room. She just wanted to be by herself for a few minutes.

As she supposed it was going to be, Juvia had to hide herself a few times because of some guards, but she was used to it. Back in Storm Rock, she would run away in the middle of the night to go to one of the towers to read about the things she wanted to know someday.

The castle was dark at that moment and cold too. Covering herself better, Juvia groaned when she realized that she should've brought a candle with her. Feeling a little adventurous, the Marchioness looked around before opening the door to a big balcony. Feeling the cold breeze on her face was very refreshing.

She went closer to the wall and looked to the place she would be the lady of.

Avalanche Castle was located above a mount for strategic measures, as Jose explained to her; from where she was standing, Juvia could see four villages because of the lights and she was sure that if she went higher, to one of the towers, for example, she could see even more lights. But for now, she was fine, looking at just those four.

The people who lived there would soon become her people as well.

"What are you doing out here?" A male voice said and Juvia looked behind her, startled.

Her heart skipped a bit once she saw the man. He had dark hair and was wearing dark clothes, just like the one Loke was wearing when she met him. But he, somehow, captivated her, even though she just stood there glued to the floor.

"Juv…" She tried to talk and he stepped closer, frowning.

"I don't recognize you." Even though she was terrified, Juvia realized that she wasn't afraid of _him_ , but of what could happen if Master Jose found out that she had been walking around the castle without permission. "Do you work here?" Her heart was racing and she liked the new feeling that man was giving her.

Juvia shook her head.

"Then how did you…?" Realization passed through the eyes, which the Marchioness realized were black like coal, and he spoke again. "Did you come from Where The Rain Never Stop?"

"Yes." She finally found her voice, but it was very low. "Please, don't tell Master Jose that you saw me." She looked terrified and he was a bit surprised, but nodded.

"I won't." He looked to the horizon. "It's perfectly normal to explore an unknown place. And I can tell that you weren't robbing anything so it's fine."

"Thank you." She turned to see the horizon again, now a little bit nervous with his presence but not wanting to go away either. "Th-this is a very beautiful place." She said after a minute of silence.

He looked down to her and then back to the view. "Yes, it is. Sometimes I forget about it."

"Ha-have you… always lived here?" She asked, wondered. Juvia leaned over the wall, looking to the man.

"Yes." He nodded and pointed to one of the four villages they could see from where they were. "I was born there."

Juvia followed his finger and saw that he was pointing to the village that was placed right beside a mountain.

"Really?" She asked and he nodded. "How was it?"

"Normal." The man turned and stared at her. "You know? I grew up between snowball fights, Ice Skating and Snow Angels. How about you?"

"I-I grew up in the Storm Rock." She shrugged, getting more used to the man next to her. "Lots of books and classes about manners. It was a little bit boring, actually." He chuckled and her heart stopped for a moment and she could feel every nerve in her body, like that small gesture could sent electricity through her. Juvia didn't know what was happening to her; why her breath got caught in her throat? And why her heart was pounding so fast into her chest that she wondered if the man could hear it? That never happened with her before!

What was happening to her?

 _What_ was that feeling?

"Learning manners, huh?" The man smirked and inside her head, Juvia let out a squeal of how handsome he was while doing that. "I bet that you missed one class." Juvia frowned when he looked to her again. "You know… the one that says that a girl should be in her bedroom during the night."

Her whole face went red in an instant. She wasn't completely clueless about life.

Okay, she _was_. But she knew that he was implying something that she needed to object to.

"O-oh…" She said quickly. "N-no! Juv.." The Marchioness caught herself before saying her name. She was trying to not do that anymore and she kind of liked to be treated normally by someone other than Gajeel in her life. " _I_ would never… Ju… _I_ am…"

The dark-haired man laughed. "I was just messing with you." He turned around to go away, raising a hand to wave good-bye. "Don't forget to close the door when you're done. The castle is already cold enough to other people."

As she watched the mysterious man disappear, Juvia's breathing became normal again, but every time she thought about him, her heart would make a cartwheel inside her chest. But surprisingly, it didn't hurt. It only made her feel funny.

"Maybe Juvia's hungry." She murmured to herself and started to walk away, making sure to close the door behind her. She was going to get engaged, it wasn't in her place to wonder who the mysterious man was. Or how did he get that scar above his eye. Or how his eyes glowed like black diamonds under the moon's light.

No.

She wasn't going to think about it. _At all_.

**#**

Gray was already opening his bedroom door when he realized two things: one: he hadn't even asked that girl her name and two: the castle was full with guards and that girl wasn't seen by any of them.

And what was he thinking when he talked about where he was born? Maybe Gray was going crazy like his grandfather was when he set the marriage up. He rolled his eyes knowing his own stupidity. He was the freaking _Duke_! He needed to know what was happening inside his own castle, not tell people he didn't even know about his childhood memories!

He sighed. He needed to warn the guards that there was a girl who could walk around the castle exploring without them knowing. As if he hadn't enough problems already; he was going to get engaged in less than twelve hours.

The Duke of Ice Lands had no time to worry himself about nothing other than the merge between the lands.

And his future wife, of course.

The dark-haired man groaned with the thought. According to Jose Porla, Gray could expect a bubbly head for a wife, and it didn't actually bother him if she was one. It would be easier for him if she was, actually. Even if she was not good looking, she would stay out of his problems, and he could let her do whatever she wanted with the castle and raising the kids they would eventually have.

But the smirk in Loke's face… Gray knew his friend, and the orange haired man sure knew how to read people. Especially women. So, he had three options there: a) she was actually pretty and Loke's head was full of dirty thoughts; b) she was very submissive and Loke's head was full of dirty thoughts about telling Gray how make the best of it; or c) she only _pretended_ to be submissive to other people and Loke's head was full of dirty thoughts about how Gray could tame her once he realized that.

"I'll meet her tomorrow. No need to lose sleep over it. It's business." He jumped into his bed after removing the clothes he was _obliged_ to use (the maids didn't seem to complain to an occasional shirtless Gray, but the council wanted him to be exemplar, so he was trying to watch himself). And right after he fell asleep, he thought about talking to whoever was in charge with the March of Rain cortage that he was going to give them more suitable coats.

The one that the girl he met had was too thin.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

Gray felt suffocated with the formal clothes he was wearing. Dammit, he was a man who was raised in the cold, what the hell his counselors were thinking when they said that he needed to wear three layers of clothing? Seriously, he could go out without a shirt on and be fine with it.

But no, he was getting _married_.

Okay, people called engagement, but he didn't buy it; they were going to sign a paper and they were going to live together as husband and wife, so it was a marriage.

A _full_ marriage.

The Duke groaned and took of his outside coat so he could breathe easier. He was going to get married to a woman he never saw in his life and he was going to go to the end with it! Gray snorted. Maybe he was a little bit crazy after all. Maybe he shouldn't be the Duke because he was insane. Good plan!

Yeah, he scoffed, as if there were someone else to take the Duchy from him.

No, not anymore. The lands were his and his only. And with the lands, the people who lived there were also his responsibility and he had a duty to the King and to his family to be the best caretaker as possible to the precious gifts his grandfather left for him.

He snorted again. The old man sure wasn't too fond of him, at first only letting Gray live in the Castle because he couldn’t have the people thinking he didn’t care about his own grandson. People said the Duke loved his daughter too much and couldn’t bear seeing Gray all the time as a reminder she was gone. They weren’t the best of friends but Gray had learned a lot from the old man and they made their peace when his time came. Wanting or not, Gray, after quite a mess, was nominated the next Duke, much to his despair, since he grew up away from Avalanche Castle until he lost his parents.

Everything was freaking scary when he first came to that place, and yet, at that point of his life he couldn't see himself doing nothing other than be the Duke. Gray Fullbuster was a man of word, and he swore to be the Duke until the day he died and if he needed to marry a complete stranger to continue to be one, so be it.

Sighing, Gray turned around in direction of the door when he heard a knock.

"Come in." He straightened himself and put his icy façade.

The first thing he saw was the pink hair and he relaxed when he took a look at the person who just entered the room.

"Hey, Icy Brain." The man greeted, entering the room without any shyness. "Loke said it is time for you to take your ass to the chapel. The priest and the judge are waiting."

"Crap." Gray didn't even remember to fight the pink haired man as he always did out of instinct. He was getting _married_! The man that promised himself that would _never_ do that. But then, he became a Duke and everything changed. "Crap, Natsu. I'm getting _married_ to someone I never met before."

"That sucks." The other man nodded while reaching for the table where Gray's breakfast was intact and putting a pancake inside his mouth. "If you don't want to, don't marry her." Natsu said with his mouth full.

"I can't. My grandfather made it official. The family's honor is at stake." Gray said grabbing his coat.

" _That_ complicates things." The pink haired man shrugged. If anyone knew about honor, was Natsu Dragneel. His foster father, Igneel was a knight for the King and he taught everything about the court to his son: he taught about fighting, about proper manners (that Natsu barely used) and mostly important he taught the boy about always fulfill his promises and about his honor; until the day he died protecting the King.

"Yeah." Gray put his coat on. "Besides, it's even worse for this Juvia woman I am marrying." He sighed. "At least I am in my house. She had to leave everything she knew behind her."

"Maybe she thinks of it as an adventure. Lucy did." Natsu shrugged and Gray stared at him with despise.

"I don't think the Rain Woman thinks this is an adventure."

"Well, you need to decide what you're doing because the ceremony is going to happen in about half an hour." The pink haired man said, now drinking the wine that was meant for the Duke.

Gray sighed and took his coat again, putting it back on.

"I'll do what my grandfather promised. If this marriage breaks, it'll not come from my side. Let's go."

**#**

After staring at herself for ten minutes, Juvia couldn't stop walking from one side to another in her room. She was going to get married. _Married_.

"You are making me sick. Stop it." The man who was leaning on the wall said, rolling his red eyes.

"Juvia is nervous, Gajeel-kun." The Marchioness said, turning around to her friend. "What if he's… mean to Juvia?" She asked, concerned. "What if he is a bad guy?"

"You should've run last night when you had the chance." Gajeel raised an eyebrow when the Marchioness frowned in confusion. "What? Did you really think that I didn't see you leave last night? I hoped that you finally grew the balls to run away from this marriage, but you came back. Stupid." The man shook his head slightly in disapproval.

"Juvia should've realized that you were awake." She sighed. "You can predict her moves like no one, Gajeel-kun."

"It's because you can be predictable sometimes. And other times, I don't even know you." Gajeel shrugged. "You can be a puzzle."

"Cannot!" She exclaimed.

"Can too."

"Cannot!"

"Can too!"

Juvia laughed and her friend smirked; he had taken a little bit of her anxiety, making her laugh. Of course, she understood why people were afraid of him; long dark hair, red eyes and piercings in his face weren't exactly the friendliest looks, but she knew better; how his heart was full of kindness for the people he let in.

She was lucky to be one of those people.

"Gajeel-kun… did you apologize to that girl? The one you scared at the port?" Juvia asked softly. She knew that the guilt was eating him up. It was his job to protect her, but to tackle a person who wasn't a threat was not part of it. And the Marchioness knew him enough to know that he only attacked with a reason.

"Didn't see her." He shrugged again. "And even if I do…"

"You will apologize." Juvia said firmly.

"I am not going to apologize for doing my job!" The man said stubbornly.

"Then don't: apologize for scaring her." Juvia stepped closer to her best friend. "We are going to stay here for a _long_ time, Gajeel-kun." She took his hand with hers. "It can be our chance to be… different." She smiled softly. "Maybe this marriage can be what we both need to reinvent ourselves."

"Don't think so." Gajeel scoffed but didn't move his hand from hers. Juvia was the only person in his life, aside from his father Metalicana, to touch him with kindness and she couldn't do often enough, but when she did, his heart would always get overwhelmed with happiness. "You will have a castle to run and will pop up about fifteen kids and I'll be with the guards, patrolling during the coldest nights."

"You will not." It was her time to roll the eyes in a very un-lady like manner. "This is the biggest Duchy of Fiore. Juvia is certain that there must be someone here for you!"

"I don't need someone." He almost moaned in pain. He could already see Juvia trying to set him up with someone as soon as she got bored with her new life. "I just need myself."

"Liar, liar, pants on fire." She sang song and then hugged him. "Even if you don't need Juvia, you'll always have her." She kissed his cheek for his annoyance and let him go, returning to her place before the mirror. "Gajeel-kun will always be Juvia's best friend even if he doesn't want to."

She checked her appearance again, not that her light blue dress was any different from before she stepped out of her spot in front of the mirror, she was looking at her every angle. The dress had some white sparkles, making Juvia glow a little. Her hair was in the usual curls by the end of it, and she was using some pinkish lipstick.

While she was looking at herself, Gajeel stared at her. He knew some parts of Porla's plans and it wasn't good and Juvia was still naïve enough to think that the older man was after the best interests of her March, but he didn't. And Gajeel needed to be the one to protect her from Master Jose when the time came.

He didn't know this future husband of hers or how many men he had under his orders, but if this Duke even _dared_ to make Juvia unhappy, he would pay the consequences. People didn't mess with the only person he ever cared and got away with it. Gajeel would raise hell to prevent her from getting hurt. And it would be even worse if she actually got hurt.

If such a thing ever happened, none would be safe from his wrath.

A knock came from the door and Juvia said "Come in", turning around to face the orange haired man she met when arrived.

"It's time, Marchioness." Loke smiled and opened the door further, showing her the way.

It was in motion.

**#**

The private office of the Duke of Winter was a very big place, as it was all the rooms in Avalanche Castle. It had windows which went from the ceiling to the ground, letting the light come in, in contrast with the darkness of the wall, which were covered with some old rugs which had some pretty awful drawings of dragons, lamias and fairies.

Gray hated those rugs, but at the moment, he was pretty much focused on them, while the people around him were talking while waiting his bride to come and realize the marriage ceremony. For royalty, there were two weddings: the first one was the real one, both groom and bride would sign the papers and would start to live together but would call it ‘engagement’. The second part of it, was the Outside Wedding, as people called.

The Outside Wedding was a big festival where the commoners could see the ceremony, making the bond between man and woman unbreakable. Besides, the common people loved to see the royals from all over the Kingdom.

"Gray?" A woman's voice woke the Duke from his daydreaming. He was actually looking at the walls and imagining what would be the chances of a fairy to beat a lamia. Yes, he was _that_ focused on getting married.

"Yes, Erza?" He responded, shaking his head and focusing his eyes on the red-haired woman, now in front of him. She had red straight hair with bangs that fell into her left eye. She was wearing a dark armor, since she was the Weapons Master from Avalanche Castle. And she was also one of Gray's oldest friends.

"It's time." She said kindly, which was rare: Erza Scarlet was one fierce woman most of the times.

He groaned but went to stand close to his desk, where an old man, the judge, was holding a quill, waiting for the formalities to be done. In the room, were also Jose Porle and a few of his men, the priest, Natsu Dragneel and his wife, Lucy by his side, an old woman and Erza.

The door opened and Loke appeared first, then a big dark haired man who stayed by the door, looking very pissed. Gray really needed to know who that was.

"I present you: Juvia Lockser, The Marchioness of Rain."

When the woman stepped in the room, Gray frowned and whispered to himself: "What the…?" 


	7. Chapter 7

Once he looked the way his bride was coming, Gray's eyes opened wide as he looked at her. He knew that blue hair with those crazy curls, the deep blue eyes, and the whiteness of her skin... He froze in his spot when he fully realized exactly _where_ he remembered seeing the woman walking towards him from. It was _the girl_! The girl he talked to the night before! The girl he wasn't supposed to meet until that moment.

Oh. _Shit_.

If he said something, then the marriage would fall into pieces and he couldn't do that. He had the honor of the Ice Lands to protect. And it wasn't like they knew who they were talking to. It was a coincidence, right? _Right_? Did she want to meet him before the wedding and set that meeting up somehow?

No. When his eyes met hers, Gray could see the surprise written in them. She knew that he was the Duke as much as he knew that she was the Marchioness. It was a coincidence. He sighed in relief. At least his future wife didn't have some kind of agenda.

The blue haired woman had a frown in her face as well. Jose Porla stepped beside her and was leading her towards where Gray, the priest and the judge were waiting.

Once they stepped closer, Jose offered the hand of the blue haired woman to the Duke, who took it and leaned to kiss it.

"Duke Fullbuster, this is Juvia Lockser, Marchioness of Rain." Jose said.

The Marchioness was about to say something, but Gray couldn't let her ruin the marriage by saying that they met before. It was a tradition they couldn't break, so, he did what any other person would've: he lied.

"It's nice to meet you for the _first_ time, Marchioness." He hoped that she was smart enough to understand what he was saying. She also knew that they shouldn't have met, even if it was by accident; it could ruin not only the marriage, but also the relationship between the two lands and neither could afford that; the Ice Lands needed the blue diamonds as much as the March of Rain needed to sell them.

The Duke kissed her hand, like any other lord would do, staring at her eyes pointedly. Luckily, she got his message.

"Y-yes, Duke Fullbuster-sama." Juvia said, nervous and bowed to him. "L-likewise."

She was so surprised to learn that the man she met on the balcony was the man she was going to marry!

Was that... _Fate_?

Maybe that's why they met the night before? Maybe it was the universe's way to tell her that she _had_ to marry him. Maybe...

Master Jose interrupted her thoughts when he spoke with a silky voice.

"Shall we sign the papers?" He said, making both the Duke and the Marchioness look away from each other.

"Yes, we shall." Gray nodded and offered his arm to the blue haired woman. She took it, shaking a bit as he noticed. Well, it was a bit crazy but he felt better knowing that she was as nervous as him. At least he wasn't alone in this. He looked to the Judge, an old man. "We will sign the papers now. No need to say anything fancy, save it for the Outside Wedding." The older man nodded and reached for the papers.

Once he found them, he put it on the table in front of the couple and Jose Porla, who didn't move away.

The Judge offered a quill to Gray. The Duke let go off Juvia's arm and bended a little so he could sign his name. He didn't hesitate.

Gray Fullbuster gave his word that he was going to marry that woman, and the gods help him, because he was doing it.

**#**

Juvia took the quill her husband-to-be offered her, trembling; after she signed her name in those papers, she would be _married_. She, a married woman! Even without the second part of the ceremony (which was just a big flashy wedding for the people; the real wedding was happening at that moment) she was going to be married to a man she just met.

Well, okay, it wasn't _entirely_ true. The night before she did talk to him and Juvia was convinced that he wasn't a bad person by the way they talked. At least that was a good thing, right?

And the fact that he wasn't bad to look at didn't hurt at all. Duke Fullbuster was indeed a very attractive man. He was tall, not as tall as Gajeel though. His black hair was combed, but it was too rebel to stay in the way it was put. And, somehow, she could tell that the fancy clothes he was wearing weren't of his liking at all. The dark coat with some blue patterns didn't fit the guy Juvia talked the night before.

She took the quill and bended over the table so she could write her name.

Juvia tried as hard as she could to stop trembling so people could actually read her name.

Once she finished and raised her head, she saw that the man she assumed was the priest because of his ridiculous clothes, a dark brown gown with a big and long white hat, just like the ones the priests back in her March wore, came closer to her and the Duke.

He took one of Juvia's hands and placed above Gray's, and then he took another to place above the Duke's and they did the same with Gray's.

She wrinkled her nose to the old costume. Their hands, one above the other was to mean that they had to have each other in anytime and in any situation, in any way. The sentiment was nice, but the way of doing it was silly; people could just say it. The priest then, surrounded their hands in a white cloth with many religious symbols. He then, spoke in a clear voice.

"Gray Fullbuster, 31st Duke of Winter; do you accept this woman to be your wife in holy matrimony, to be your companion in life and your helper during your ruling over this Duchy and the March of Rain until death do you apart?"

The Duke didn't hesitate in answer the question. Juvia was impressed of how serious and decisive about the wedding he was.

"I do."

The priest nodded and looked to the blue haired woman.

"Juvia Lockser, 29th Marchioness of Rain; do you accept this man to be your husband in holy matrimony, to be your companion in life and your helper during your ruling over this Duchy and the March of Rain until death do you apart?"

The Marchioness took a deep breath and with a boost of courage she said strongly, surprising even herself: "I do."

"Before the gods," The Priest said. "You vowed to be together and your bond will never be broken or fade away. You will be forever united in marriage. You are now husband and wife." The old man put another cloth over the white one, but it was red this time. "You may kiss the bride."

Juvia's heart began to beat faster as Gray leaned towards her.

That was it!

She was going to be kissed by him. It was the rule, right? All she could hear was her heartbeat and all she could see was his face getting closer and closer to her own.

Oh, she wasn't supposed to have her eyes open, was she? Juvia closed her eyes and put her lips together, expecting his own on hers...

...when she felt his cold lips on her _forehead_.

She opened her eyes, more disappointed that she should have been. Since she was a little girl and she was taught the ritual of marriage, Juvia dreamt about having a romantic kiss at that day, given by the man she was in love with.

But not a thing about this wedding screamed 'romance'; so a kiss on the forehead was good enough. She sighed.

"The goddess of fertility will not be happy with this, Duke." The old priest gave him a dirty look. "She's the one who decides about how many children you will have, sir."

Gray smirked and shrugged. "You said _'Kiss the bride_ ' and I did; you never said where I was supposed to kiss her." Juvia couldn't help but thinking it was funny the way he talked to the old man. Back in her homeland, people feared the priests and there the Duke was, bending the rules and pissing the man off.

"Fine. It still counts." The priest sighed and didn't even try to talk to the Duke. He probably knew the Duke was a lost cause. "I introduce you to Gray Fullbuster and Juvia Lockser, Duke and Duchess of Winter, Marquess and Marchioness of Rain; united by holy matrimony."

Gray grabbed Juvia's hand, startling her a little bit and they turned around, to look to the witness, who were now bowing towards them.

Suddenly, Juvia felt her face get warmer but she raised her chin in pride. She was no longer just a Marchioness, she was also a Duchess, and she was going to live up to the expectations.

**#**

Okay, so _maybe_ she was scared to death about the consummation of marriage and _maybe_ couldn't live up to the expectations.

Juvia was walking barefoot from one side to another only wearing her night gown, her hair loose, in the room that she was now to share with her husband. Yes, they would _share_ one.

Usually, the castles had joint rooms for the couples; she should have her room and he would have his. And whenever he wanted to try and have babies with her, he would open the door that joint the rooms, make the baby and go away. At least that's what Marge told her. But of course, the Ice Lands _had_ to be different in that aspect, as if she wasn't scared enough with the changes.

Another thing the old lady told her was about what exactly happened in the bedroom after the marriage.

 _"Just lie on the bed, dear." She was never that nice with Juvia before. "Men like to have you quiet and still. When_ it _happens, it'll be very painful and not pleasant, but you must endure it and be quiet, otherwise he might get angry. After a while it will become less painful and after a few years, you'll have the descendants the noble men want so much and then he'll stop coming to you."_

 _"It's gonna_ hurt _?" Juvia was surprised. No one ever told her_ that _._

_"Yes. A lot, actually." Marge nodded and Juvia's eyes had the size of the moon. Marge had explained to her years ago of how babies were made, but she left out the part where it hurt very badly! She was combing the younger woman's hair, since the Marchioness already had a bath to wait for her new husband. Her hair was loose, without the curls and reached almost her waist. "But you are a strong child. And that Duke… he is a handsome one. You got lucky. My husband was an ogre." The old woman said with bitterness. "The only good thing he ever did was give me my children. You'll have your own children to love as well. Keep that in mind and you'll get through is."_

_Juvia nodded and looked at herself in the mirror, while Marge still combed her hair._

_'What am I getting myself into?' She asked herself quietly_.

And ten minutes before, Marge had stepped away from the room, leaving Juvia alone with her own thoughts.

When the door opened, probably revealing the Duke, since she knew that no one else would enter his room without knocking, she sighed and before turning to look to her husband, she said to herself.

' _Juvia is strong. She can do this._ ' The blue haired woman turned to look to the person standing by the door. She was strong enough to do what it took. 


	8. Chapter 8

Duke Gray Fullbuster was known for being a brave man. He had faced some enemies in his not so long life, he fought and won; very few things actually scared him. But enter in the room that he was now supposed to share with his wife was scaring him more than he ever thought it would.

For the gods' sake! He defeated warriors from Across the Sea, from Beyond the Cold Mountains. He faced warriors that had the advantage; and Gray never even blinked before going to battle.

He was a brave man, an excellent soldier and incredible leader when it came down to war.

So why getting inside the room with his new wife scared him so much?

The Duke was about to turn and go away for the night. He could deal with her later, right? It wasn't unheard of the newly-weds to not share a bed right after when the marriage took place, but of course, most of those marriages were performed in the middle of war for alliances purposes, so the bride and groom didn't exactly have much time together.

And there wasn't a war happening, so Gray needed to rule _that_ excuse out for not entering the room.

He sighed. It wasn't like his wife wasn't pretty. Gray found himself surprised once he saw her, actually. The rumors he had heard convinced him that the reason why the girl never appearing in public was because she was not pretty, but that was wrong info. Gray looked down; it wasn't _that_ what was making him uncomfortable. Actually, he was quite sure that he would very much like it when they tried to make… _successors_.

Shaking his head slightly, he knew exactly why he didn't want to come in. It was an _arranged_ marriage. Arranged by two old men who were mostly like drunk when made the deal. That woman was a complete stranger to him, and she was the person that he was going to spend the rest of his life with. The only woman in his life from the moment he signed the papers until the day he dies.

Gray raised his head and with determination, entered the room. It was his duty as a Duke to guarantee that the marriage didn't fall into pieces and he was going to do just that.

Once he opened the door, he was surprised to see her standing and even more surprised to learn the length of her hair, long enough to reach her hips. The times he had seen her, she was wearing the curls by the end of it and found it odd, but probably was some kind of Rain thing. The Marchioness – now also Duchess – was wearing a very ugly and large white nightgown – which only left her head and hands showing – and he wanted to laugh at it, but didn't. Gray didn't want to insult her during their first night together.

Her deep blue eyes were showing the fear and uncertainty that she was feeling at that moment and Gray felt bad for her. The look in her eyes resembled a lot the one he always received once a deer he had been hunting acknowledged his position and intentions.

It never ended very well for the deer, he was afraid. But he was going to try to do better by his… _wife_.

"Hi." Gray greeted his wife and closed the door of his – no, _their –_ room. He saw her blush and he also felt his cheeks become hot. At that very moment there were people toasting because the duke was producing heirs and that bothered Gray; he didn't want everyone to know what he was doing with his wife. He removed the thought of his head and spoke again, more firmly this time. "I know you know this already, but I'm Gray."

She looked confused for a moment, before saying in a tiny voice: "Ju-Juvia." She did a curtsy.

"Nice meeting you." He offered her a smile and stepped forward her, making the blunette step back. Gray immediately stopped once he saw it. "Sorry. Sorry." Of course it was her reaction to retreat: she was terrified.

They stayed in silence and without moving for a few moments, just eyeing each other.

"Hm... What were you doing at the balcony last night?" Gray asked trying to break the ice while he stepped closer to the bed and started removing his coat. He was trying to look unaffected by the situation. "I thought that someone had forbidden you to do these things."

"Ju-Juvia wanted to loo-look around a bit." She stuttered and looked away from where the Duke was.

"I see." He nodded and crossed his arms above his chest. He understood her urge of exploring a new place, he was like that when he first came to Avalanche Castle. "But we shouldn't have met."

"So-sorry." Juvia mumbled and looked down. "Juvia didn't know."

"It's fine." Gray waved her off. "It doesn't matter anymore; we are married and this is an archaic rule anyways." He saw her nod and he sighed. She wasn't very talkative, was she? "So, Juvia... Can I call you Juvia?" The woman nodded. "Before we do anything, let's talk."

He sat on the bed and looked to the space beside him. Juvia noticed that it was his way of telling her to join him. Biting her lower lip, she did what she was asked and sat beside her husband trying to take less space as she could.

Once she was settled, Gray started to talk, looking to the wall in front of them.

"We are married." He stated. "We cannot change that. Today, I promised to take care of you until I die and I don't go back on my word." Gray paused. "So, from today on, you and I are linked forever." He turned to look at her and caught her staring at him. Juvia's expression showed how apprehensive she was; and also, curiosity about what he was talking about. "Forever is a _long_ time. I know a few married couples who hate each other because they were forced to get married, or never tried to get along and I don't want this. If you and I are going to stay at each other's side, I think that I have to know you first and vice-versa."

"And... How exactly do we do that?" She asked.

"Well..." He looked up to the ceiling. "I think that we have to talk, or something." Gray shrugged. "I mean, that's the fastest way of knowing each other, right?"

"Okay." Juvia said. They stayed in silence for some time. "And how about the... uh, _wedding night_?" She said with emphasis, because she knew that talking was not done much during _those_ nights.

Gray felt his face become hot as he blushed.

"Well..." He cleared his throat. "We will only be doing _that_ when we are comfortable with each other." He looked at her. "I can tell that you are afraid and I don't want to scare you even more. I'd rather wait for some time before doing... it." Gray's eyes went back to the ceiling. "Everything will happen when we think it should happen. We may not have the choice when it came down to this marriage, but we do about how we are going to deal with it." He stopped talking for a moment and stared back at her. "This castle is yours too. You can do whatever you want, as long as you have an escort. We can never be too careful: you are new here and I would feel better if one of my guards had your back for some time. I'll make sure to ask him to stay in a distance that doesn't bother you much."

Juvia was staring at her husband with fascination. Marge made her so scared with her stories about how married life was, while the Duke, one of the most powerful man in the country was trying to comfort and make her feel better.

"Thank you." She said quietly and he smiled, making her blush and her heart started to make crazy movements inside her chest and her stomach started to feel weird again.

"No problem." He said and got up from the bed. "Let's go to sleep, then. Tomorrow morning we can talk more."

Juvia glanced towards the bed and then to Gray. Noticing her insecurity, Gray chuckled and grabbed a pillow.

"Don't worry. You have the bed and I'll get the couch until we agree otherwise." He pointed to the comfy couch across the room.

"Juvia can get the couch. She doesn't mind." The Duchess said, using third person without realize; and even though Gray thought it was strange, he didn't comment on it.

"Of course not." He rolled his eyes. "I know that you think that the couch is not comfortable, but it is. To tell the truth sometimes I just sleep there." And it was true; a few times a week, whenever he had a rough and demanding day, Gray sat on the couch to take his boots off, but ended up sleeping there instead; he was used to it.

Juvia nodded and waited until he put the pillow on the couch before she laid on the big bed again.

He mumbled a 'good night' and she responded it back. Juvia thought that she was going to be afraid of being sleeping in the same room as a total strange alone, but she wasn't. Strangely, when he had told her that they would only take their relationship forward when they were prepared, she believed him. Somehow, inside her heart, she knew he was going to keep his promise, so, when sleep came, she didn't fight it.

She was exhausted. She got married, then had to meet some of the people who worked at Avalanche Castle, and there was the stress over the wedding night, plus the bad night she had before.

And somehow, she felt that a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, so she let sleep take over her.

Gray sighed happily as soon as his back hit the couch. He had a long, _long_ day. Getting married was stressful, but at least, he and Juvia reached an agreement. They would try to be friends at least and would just take things further when they were ready.

The guys from the council would start pressure him about when they could expect an heir for the Duchy  soon, but he would tell them to shove it. He had agreed with that marriage without much fight, so if they started bothering him to impregnate Juvia, he would be incredibly angry.

He closed his eyes and started drifting to sleep. His troubles would still be there when he woke up.

 


	9. Chapter 9

 

It had been two weeks since the marriage and Juvia and Gray had fallen into a routine. In the mornings, they would have breakfast together with Jose Porla, who decided to stay for some time to make sure that she was alright, as he said. Then, Gray would go to his office and deal with Duchy issues, while Juvia went to the big salon and sew. When it was lunch time, the Duke and Duchess -plus Jose Porla- would eat together and right after, Gray would go out with his horse and a few guards to check the lands surrounding Avalanche Castle, while Juvia would go back to the salon and sew. After dinner – with Jose Porla, of course – , they would talk for a while and then went to sleep: she occupying the bed, while he slept on the couch.

Juvia didn't like that routine. Not at all.

First: she didn't want Jose around during the times Juvia was with her husband. They barely talked during the meals and she was certain that it was the older man who was making it impossible for them to bond. The Duchess had learned that her husband didn't like to share much and even though he was the one who suggested that they needed to know each other better, with Jose there it was difficult; Gray had made very clear that he didn't like the other man if his silence wasn't enough.

And second: she hated sewing and it seemed the only thing she was doing since she got there, right next to eating. Juvia had made to herself a new dress during the time she was living in that castle. And not a simple one, it was kind of fancy.

Third: Juvia wanted her husband to really _look_ at her!

Her instincts about Gray were right; she knew it now. He tried to be detached from the world, but the truth was that he loved that Duchy. One time, when Jose was late for dinner, Juvia had asked how his day was and surprisingly, he answered.

 _"This season we were able to provide for all of the villages." She saw the sparkle in his eyes. "The roughest time we have around here is Winter for obvious reasons, but it's tough during the warmer months too. This was a_ very good _Spring. A few years back, when my grandfather's father ruled, even during the Summer and Spring the rates of deaths because of malnutrition were insanely high." He smiled. "Sorry, I talked too much."_

 _"No, please, continue." She said eagerly. Juvia didn't stutter as much when he was around anymore. Only if the Duke was too close to her, of course. Her stomach would start to feel funny and she would forget how to speak like a normal person. But at that moment, Juvia was too excited because her husband was_ talking _to her. "Juvia likes to hear about the Duchy."_

 _Gray nodded. "Alright, then." He was glad that his wife was showing interest in her new home. "When the Summer is here, if we do it again_ – _have supplies for all villages, that is_ –, _I am confident that when the Winter comes we will be alright." He chuckled. "The past few years we've been holding on, but this year, I'm confident we will_ finally _have a good winter."_

_"Juvia is glad." The blue haired woman smiled truly happy that her husband was feeling confident about the Duchy._

_"And there's your March." Gray said, smiling even wider. "I received a letter earlier; the Blue Diamonds that were being shipped to the Duchy of Spring arrived with no problems."_

_"Really?" Juvia asked, surprised._

_"Yes." He nodded. "My guess is that whoever is stealing is afraid of make a move since I am your husband and the new lord of the March." He stopped for a moment and smirked. "And well... I_ did _change the routes of the ships. Maybe they're just lost."_

_Juvia put a hand over her mouth and giggled._

_"Very smart, Gray-sama." She said._

_"You know that just 'Gray' is fine, Juvia." He rolled his eyes._

_"Ju-Juvia can't." The Duchess' face became vermillion and she looked down with shyness._

_"Fine." He sighed. "If you prefer it like that, it's fine. Just so you know, I'm not calling you 'Juvia-sama', my wife or not." He joked._

_She looked up and was about to tell him that she didn't expect him to, but she saw the playful look on his eyes and her face became even redder. He was so handsome when was carefree like that._

_Jose Porla chose to enter the dining room at that moment and Gray's posture changed. His shoulders straighten, his face became stoic and all playfulness left his eyes. He was the Duke, then; not Gray._

Juvia wanted that again; she wanted to talk to her husband when he was Gray, not when he was the Duke. Honestly? She wanted Jose gone. She felt small amount of guilt; Jose was the only father figure she ever had, but she was a married woman and she needed to know her husband.

And that day, was the day he was going back to the March of Rain.

Finally, Juvia thought. She was glad to see him going. Jose was the man who pretty much raised her, but she knew that most of people would get uncomfortable around him, and to tell the truth he was too nosy. The man practically asked in what position Juvia and the Duke consummate the marriage – which they still hadn't done it!

She waved good-bye while the chariot went away, and with it, most of the guards that came with her, and of course, Jose Porla.

Gajeel was by her side, stoic as ever. He chose to stay with Juvia. He and Marge were the only ones who stayed and the Duchess was glad they did. Marge, even with her pessimist behavior, was the woman who raised her and she was glad to have at least her there. Gajeel said that he was her guard and would be until she herself says that his services were not needed anymore.

"Are you sure you don't wanna go, Gajeel-kun?" Juvia asked as the chariot with Jose went away and the man snorted.

"And leave your security to these stupid snow guards?" His red eyes focused on her. "Sorry, but they're more interested in protecting the Duke, not _you_. A wife is replaceable; the man with the lineage is not."

The Duchess nodded. "Juvia is glad that you chose to stay. It's good to have faces she recognizes."

"Whatever. Don't get all mushy on me." Gajeel said and Juvia giggled.

"Let's get inside. Now that Master is gone, maybe Juvia can do things other than sewing."

**#**

Avalanche Castle was a very, very big place; Juvia noticed that she could easily get lost there if she wasn't careful enough. Gajeel was following her, of course. Probably making his own map inside his head in case they needed to run. Juvia was just enjoying the place.

The two weeks since the wedding, she had only seen her room, the dining room and the sewing room, where she and Marge would stay most of the day.

It was strange, to see all those people inside the castle. Lots of housemaids were passing by and bowing to her before resuming their tasks of cleaning whichever. Juvia was, as always, surprised to see how much sunlight the castle had. The big windows provided it, and also the beautiful image of the mountains and the snow.

After checking the eastern side of the castle, Juvia and Gajeel wander off the western one. It appeared to be much older than the other one and she guessed that it was the first side to be built. The Duchess and her guard were in silence for most of the time, and neither bothered with meaningless talk. They never did.

After a few minutes, down the main hall of western side, they stopped in front of a big painting; it was of the previous Duke, Juvia guessed. And even though he was in his mid-twenties or so, he had hair as white as the snow outside. He was wearing the formal clothes from the Ice Lands and was standing by a woman, also in her mid-twenties. She had dark hair and eyes that reminded Juvia of her husband. She had a baby in her arms, a girl with a small amount of white hair wearing a dress that looked a lot like the Duchess’. The boy was standing in front of his father, his white hair exactly like the Duke's.

Right under the painting, there was written: _Leonard V. and his family – 30th Duke of Winter_.

"A kid with white hair is _freaky_. Old people have white hair." Gajeel said frowning slightly and then smirked. "Maybe you'll have small elderly babies, Juvia. It's clearly possible."

At this, the Duchess laughed. "Yes. That's not going to happen for a while, Gajeel-kun."

He shrugged. "Think about the bright side of it: if you find a guy with white hair to have an affair with, no one will know if you have _his_ baby."

"Gajeel-kun!" She turned to face him with her cheeks bright red. "Juvia would _never_ …" He just laughed and ducked as she tried to give him small slaps on his arm. She was laughing with him after a few moments and they stopped when someone let out a cough. When Juvia turned around, she saw the amused sight of her husband, Loki a few steps behind. "Gray-sama! This is not… _we_ are not…"

Gray was leaning on a nearby wall and had a smirk on his lips as he saw his wife and her guard interact. For a moment, he thought that might had been some kind of feelings between the two, since Gajeel seemed too concerned about her but now it was clear that they were just friends.

"It's okay to explore, I told you." The Duke shrugged and started to walk towards them. "Now this is your house too you can come and go as you please." She nodded and Gajeel stepped back a bit, just enough to give them some privacy, but not much, and stood by Loki's side. Gray pointed to the painting. "As you probably guessed, this was my Grandfather, Leonard. He was the one who set the marriage with your grandfather." Juvia looked to the painting again.

"You have his eyes." She said.

"I don't think so." He frowned. "He had dark green eyes. Mine are black."

"Not the color." Juvia shook her head. "The look on his eyes; you two have the same one. Juvia doesn't know how to explain…"

"It's okay. There are things we just know." Gray said dismissing the subject. He was never told that he looked like his grandfather. That was one of the difficulties he had to face when he became Duke; for as long as people could remember the Dukes of the Ice Lands had been white haired. "Even though I don't see it. Neither does anyone else." He pointed to the woman. "That was his wife, Catherine, my grandmother. She died before I was born, so I didn't really meet her, but I was told that she was a kind woman."

"She looks like she was." Juvia whispered staring at the beautiful woman's portrait.

"The boy is my uncle London." He pointed to the little boy. "He was supposed to be the Duke after my grandfather, but he died when he was twenty-eight, I think. His son was to become the Duke, but he…" Gray stopped talking to choose his words carefully. "He was not up for the task." Juvia looked towards her husband's direction and saw his face change a little, he was much more relaxed before and now he was tense; decided to not stay on the subject much longer, afraid that he would push her away, the Duchess pointed to the baby.

"So this is your mother?" It was obvious, but she asked anyway.

He nodded. "Yes. Her name was Mika." Gray said, relaxing a bit and looking fondly at the image of his mother as a child. "It is weird to see her like this. Unfortunately, I am starting to forget about her face." He said sadly. "I remember that she smelled nice, though. She sang to me when she put me to sleep. And she was warm."

"That's nice." Juvia said softly, stepping closer to her husband and putting a soothing hand on his arm. "Don't you have another painting of her?"

"I never looked. There are so many paintings of my ancestors stocked away and with the Duchy problems… I never had the time." The dark-haired man said. "I don't think my father and her had the money to pay a painter to make a portrait of them. We struggled a lot to survive." Juvia didn't understand.

"You did?" She asked.

"Yes." Gray smirked. "Grandfather almost had a heart attack when Mom ran away from Avalanche Castle when she was fifteen to find her own way out in the world, I heard people say. She hated it here: to be told what to do, how to behave… She was what we can call a _free spirit_. Father had a small amount of land and had a few cows, horses and goats. They met after three years she ran away and they got married. Two years later, she had me."

"Really?" Juvia was surprised. "Did you grow up in a farm?"

"I did." The Duke said. "Until I was seven my life was all about how to tend cows and horses. I liked the horses better. Do you ride?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Juvia did learn how to ride, yes." She smiled. "It was fun, because it was outside and Juvia barely had lessons because the rain almost never stops. But it was good enough."

"That's nice." Gray said and then returned his attention to the painting. "That's all, I think. One day we will also have our painting up here." He sighed. "When all these rules start to strangle me, I want to just do like my mom and go. But it is my duty now. There's already one 'free spirit' in the family." Gray rolled his eyes and when Gray spoke the word 'duty', Juvia removed her hand from his arm and felt some pain in her heart.

' _Oh, right. Juvia's just a duty_.' She thought sadly.

"Gray-sama has family?" Juvia asked, smiling brightly so he couldn't see how his words hurt.

"A cousin. We don't see each other much." He shrugged. "You don't have to concern yourself with him." Gray said. "I doubt he's ever going to come here in a long time. He also hated this place, like my mother did."

"So, Leonard the Fifth, Catherine, London and Mika, right?" Juvia asked.

"Yes, but my Grandfather was not the 'Fifth.' The V stands for Vastia. He was Leonard Vastia, my uncle was London Vastia and my cousin is Lyon Vastia. My mother and I were the only Fullbusters." Gray said and after a moment, Juvia seemed to be assimilating all he told her. "Well, anyway… I was looking for you. Follow me." He offered his arm, like the gentleman he was. The Duchess frowned slightly, but accepted his arm and both of them started to walk away from the painting, followed by their guards a few steps away from the couple.

**#**

Juvia, with her new and much warmer coat, followed Gray until they were outside on the stables. She had no idea of what they were doing out there, but she was curious to find out. When they got inside the stables, Juvia saw that it was much warmer than she expected.

The horses were very well treated, she could tell. "They are so beautiful." She said to Gray while she looked around.

"They are. I particularly like horses, as I told you." He grabbed her hand and went straight to the middle stall, where a very beautiful dark horse was. "This one is mine. I call him Black-Rust. Not original, I know." Juvia giggled. The Duke put the hand he was holding towards the horse, so she could touch it. "Get to know him."

Carefully, Juvia started to caress Black-Rust with tenderness. She also liked horses but never had one of her own back in the March. The only reason she was allowed to have riding lessons was because she convinced Master Jose to only take the classes when it wasn't raining. As it was rare, he let her.

"Hello there." She whispered to the horse. "You are such a beautiful boy." The horse let out a breath, as if it was agreeing and the Duchess laughed. " _And_ you know it. Okay, Juvia understands." She looked over her shoulder to her husband. He was looking to his side, as if he was expecting something. "Gray-sama?"

"Yes?" he asked returning his attention back to her.

"Why are all the other horses white while Black-Rust is not?" The blunette asked with genuine curiosity.

"Those are the horses of the guards. It is better to blend it with the rest of the landscape." Gray said. "Mine is black because I never liked hiding. If I go into the battlefield, I want the enemy to know exactly who I am." There was some movement from the ending of the stable and Gray grinned. "Here she is!"

A man was bringing a caramel colored horse that had its hair in a light-yellow tone. Even inside the stables and with the indoors light, the horse seemed to glow. "Here in the Duchy of Winter it is common for the husband to give her new wife a gift after the wedding. So… This is my gift to you." Juvia had stepped away from Black-Rust's stall and was frowning in confusion. Gray smiled and pointed to the caramel horse. "It's yours."

Juvia looked to her husband confused. It couldn't be true, could it? "What?"

"I thought very hard about what to give to you and I thought it would be good if you had your own horse. You seem like you would like to ride." The man shrugged. "Besides, someday I could take you to explore outside the castle." He looked to the horse.

The Duchess couldn't believe what was happening to her. A little hesitant, she went closer to the horse. All of its body was colored like caramel. But the hair of its tail, its head and neck were long and inevitable blonde. And anyone could see that that horse was one fine specimen. She was gorgeous, of course.

And it was _Juvia's_. Her husband thought of her and bought it. _For her_.

Without even thinking of what she was doing, she let out a happy squeal and jumped up and down all the way from where the horse was, until she reached her husband, who was clearly amused with her reaction. Juvia, then, let her arms around the man's shoulders, in an awkward hug, but she was too happy to care.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. _Thank you_!" She said, squeezing him, while the Duke let out a small laugh because of her reaction. "Really, _thank you_. That's the best gift ever." Juvia looked up, and feeling a little brave after receiving such gift, she got on her toes and kissed the Duke.

Right. Into. His. _Lips_.

It was only for a few seconds and only a brush of their lips, but it counted nonetheless.

Letting him go, Juvia smiled brightly and went back to her new pet, talking to it as calm as she could because her heart was pounding like crazy inside her chest; and it was hard to focus when her husband was looking kind of silly, still with a shocked expression. Juvia was more forward than he (or herself) thought she would be.

And somehow, he liked that side of her.

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boo-ya! You were not expecting for this, were you? :D

 

Juvia Lockser always had a hard time to have friends; so much, that her _only_ true friend was her personal guard, Gajeel Redfox –who was a brute and rude _man_ –, so when she found herself around other girls, the Duchess always felt awkward.

But somehow, it was fading away.

Her husband had introduced Juvia to Natsu Dragneel's wife, Lucy right after when they got married, and the woman was nice enough, it was Juvia who froze. It wasn't really her fault, actually. Back at her March, while growing up, she never had much contact with girls her age; the little blunette was always around Marge and much older women, learning how to sew and cook. To tell the truth, cooking was the only activity the blue haired woman liked doing, because she was good at it. Back in her old house, the cook always let her into the kitchen, but at Avalanche Castle, she was a newcomer.

Lucy was always around when Juvia was not exploring the castle. She was blonde with big brown eyes and a kind face, making her beautiful. Honestly, one of the most beautiful women Juvia knew, and she was positively glowing, since she was pregnant.

At the day of the wedding, no one could see it yet, but then, it had been a month and a half since the wedding and the woman was starting to show, much to Natsu's pride. It was nice to see him taking care of her. But when Lucy went to visit her father, Natsu didn't like to stay behind. The blonde had to explain to him that she was just going to spend a couple of weeks there and be home in less than a month; she wanted to see her father before she was too big and sore to walk around. Grumpily, the pink haired man agreed and asked Gray to have a couple of his men to go with her, since he couldn't go himself, he was needed in a food delivery for a village that was difficult to go and would be out for almost as long as Lucy would.

The Duke said 'yes, of course' and Natsu got a little less troubled. Their farewell was sweet to see: him kneeling in front of her slightly distended stomach whispering his good-byes to his child, while Lucy blushed and petted his hair, right before the man rose, kissed her soundly on the lips and then enter the chariot, going to the Duchy of Spring.

Juvia's own relationship with Gray was getting better: they ate together every day, even when his day was busy – which she thought it was sweet – and he helped in her riding lessons three times. The Duke thought it was better if she practiced a little inside the confine of Avalanche Castle, instead of just trusting Jose's man, who barely taught her how to get on a horse.

She named her horse Honey and Gray had laughed at it – both were in the stables one day, brushing their horses hair, both in their most normal clothes while tending to Black-Rust and Honey –, telling her that they were not very authentic when naming their pets. They laughed about it for a while.

The sleeping arrangements were still the same, though. He slept on the couch and she slept on the big cold bed.

One day, when she was sure the Duke wouldn't return to their room, she lied down on it. The blunette thought it was nice enough but not as nice as sleeping on a bed. Juvia had to change their dynamics concerning their sleeping habits; it was not fair that she took all the niceties for herself.

Juvia decided to talk to him later that week, when she gathered courage. The bed sure was big enough for them to share. Plus, to tell the truth, she felt her heart beat faster for him more and more often.

That morning, while eating breakfast together, Gray asked how her riding classes were going.

"They are fine, Gray-sama." Juvia told him with a smile. "The bad thing is that just turning around that small circle is not cutting for Juvia anymore."

He smirked. "I was thinking that after lunch I could take you to a ride in the forest. It's an easy path and there's a lot of open space for you to train your riding skills. I am a little tired of these walls and I guess that you are too. Wanna go?"

Juvia almost chocked on her toast when she heard his proposal. "Really? Can we get out?" Her eyes were so hopeful that the Duke couldn't help but to smile at her.

"Sure. It's been a while since Black-Rust and I went for a ride too. And you can take Honey for a stroll too." He took a sip of his hot chocolate.

"Yes!" The Duchess was a little too excited, but then calmed herself and repeated, like she was taught to do: "Yes, Juvia would like that."

"Good." The black haired man nodded. "Are you going to help in the kitchens again?"

Ever since the blunette found herself with nothing else to do, she asked to help the main cook, Mrs. Hilda, a large boned woman that seemed to have a never fading frown that was a little too rude and not too happy (like the other women) about having the mistress of the house in her kitchen, but let Juvia peel potatoes and was a little too happy to make the Duchess clean the dirty utensils before letting the blunette go to get ready to eat with the Duke.

Juvia wasn't familiar with the treatment at first, but didn't mind much, as long as she didn't have to stay sewing all the time. During the afternoon, she would spend it with Lucy and a new friend; a maid called the Levy – the same one Gajeel scared half to death when they arrived –, she would go to the room both women were and they would talk about books, because the maid loved them; or they could walk around the castle and once in a while it was Juvia's turn to do it on her own (Gajeel didn't have to follow her around anymore, he was training to become a member of Gray's guard, so to return to be on Juvia's duty again).

"Yes. Mrs. Hilda needs her potatoes." Juvia smiled and Gray nodded, he was afraid of the cook, he admitted, and as long as the woman didn't have any complaints, it was fine. She seemed happy to do something around the castle.

"So, after lunch, we get prepared and leave, alright?" The Duchess smiled widely and returned her attention to the food.

**#**

Juvia was so excited! As she went to the stable to meet her husband, the woman was almost jumping in happiness: she was finally getting out of those walls!

Wearing pants was foreign to her but apparently women who wanted to ride there, it was better than a dress and she couldn't agree more: the white tight pants and the high brown boots were strange for her to wear – Marge always told her that she had too wide hips. And even though her dark blue coat was warm enough and covered her too big breasts and reached under her knees. She wore a hat too, with a butterfly pin on it.

She wondered if her husband would like her looks. The young woman was becoming vain about her looks: she wandered if Gray liked her appearance.

"Hi, Gray-sama." The Duchess greeted her husband, who looked up from his black horse. He was wearing a thick coat as well, and for a man what to wear for a ride wasn't much different from day to day clothes, at least in Juvia's perspective.

"Hey." He smiled at her. "Honey is ready for you." He nodded towards the stable boy, who was bringing the yellow horse for her. Juvia thanked him and caressed her pet, whispering sweet words. "I… I haven't seen you in those before."

Juvia frowned and then looked down to her pants, blushing. "Oh. These are better for riding."

"Yeah." He cleared his throat, and then stepped closer to her, offering a hand. "Can we?"

The Duchess smiled and took his hand as he helped her up to her horse. "Yes, we can."

After both were settled, Juvia looked around to see their guard and when found none, asked her husband about it. The Duke rolled his eyes and said: "We're just going to go until the forest and return. No need for guards."

When they were out of the Castle's gates, both just let their horses walk in a slow pace as he pointed towards the villages they could see from far away. After a while, when the distance from it was considerable, Gray turned to talk to her, they were in a plateau, about a mile away from the forest, where only the road was brown, everything else was white because of the snow and there weren't many trees on the way.

"Ride."

"Hm?" Juvia asked distractedly.

"I know you want to ride. Just do. Do whatever you want, as long as you don't break your neck doing it, I don't see why don't you just go and ride the way you want to." He pointed towards the forest. "I'll race you there."

"But, but…" Juvia tried to say, but Gray was already yelling.

"One, two, three… go!" And then he induced Black-Rust to trot fast.

Juvia thought for a moment before trying to do the same with Honey, and the horse seemed to be waiting for it, because as soon as Juvia gave her the command, it was on fire! Black-Rust was soon by their side, since the dark horse seemed to not receive guidance to go faster.

The Duchess felt her hat fly away, but couldn't care less about it, all she could feel was the adrenalin as she made Honey trot faster and faster up until they surpassed Gray and his own horse.

Her hair was flowing back, her face was burning with the cold air, Honey was going too fast, Juvia could hear Gray calling for her faintly, but the Duchess felt like she was flying; for the first time in her life, she was completely free, no strings, no leash, just… free.

And she was not returning to a cage, not without a fight.

Once she reached the beginning of the forest, she stopped and a few moments later, Gray arrived. Juvia got down from the horse and soon as Gray arrived, he did it too.

"Are you crazy? I told you not to do anything that could break your ne…" He was interrupted by the woman's arms being thrown around his shoulders and her lips meeting his, a little clumsy, but they met for a few moments; enough to make his own arms grab her hips.

When she stopped the kiss, as abruptly as it began, she threw her head back and laughed, and then returned to stare at his dark, confused eyes.

"That was the best thing that ever happened to Juvia. She doesn't know how you do it, but… you do it. You make her feel and do so many things without even trying to make her do so." She kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

"I… erm… You're welcome, I guess." The Duke said, a little embarrassed. Clearing his throat, he let go of her waist and she unwrapped her arms from his shoulders. "Well, go get Honey. We'll walk a little and then return to the castle, okay?"

"Sure." Juvia was too high in adrenalin that didn't even blush with their contact. That day was being perfect so far, and if it was up to her, it would still be.

**#**

After half an hour, Gray was showing her a few types of trees and bushed they found on the way, some animals – they even saw a deer from afar – and everything was very interesting for Juvia, but she was there to have fun with her husband, not to learn about the fauna and flora.

Being bold, she leaned and gathered in her gloved hand some snow and made it into a ball as Gray explained something about squirrels and before she could think twice, she threw it and hit him right over his right shoulder.

The Duke stopped on his tracks and then turned around slowly.

"Did you just..." Gray looked confused for a moment. "Did you just throw a _snow ball_ at me?"

"No." Juvia looked up, with a small smile playing on her lips as she tried her best to look innocent. She still held Honey.

"Oh, really?" Gray narrowed his eyes, obviously not buying it. "Because there's only the two of us here. And I am pretty sure that you just did that."

"No idea of what you're talking about." Juvia shrugged, refusing to look to her husband, finding a certain bush very interesting.

"Fine." He turned, looking ahead again, and the Duchess could finally smile widely, but it vanished fast when she saw him let Black-Rust go and lean to the ground.

She knew _exactly_ what he was doing. When Gray turned around, he looked evilly pleased with the funny look of horror in her face.

"Don't do it." She said, a laughing a little, but nervous. He wasn't holding a small snowball.

"You started. It means war." Gray said in a matter-of-fact tone and positioned himself to throw the ball at her. When he threw it, she squealed and hid behind Honey, as the snowball hit the poor horse. Honey just looked towards Gray, and the Duke knew that if it could raise an eyebrow, it would be doing exactly that.

"Don't hide!" Gray leaned again to gather more snow. "Take it like a man!"

"Juvia's a woman!" He heard her giggle as another snowball hit him in the back. If he was standing, that one would've been hit right into his chest.

"Ow!" He complained, although it didn't _really_ hurt. "It doesn't matter! You're hiding behind your horse! That makes you a coward!" He had a snowball in each hand.

"That makes Juvia _smart_!" He heard her voice from his left side, making him move and throw a ball towards the direction. She was now hidden between the trees and bushes. The trees were thick enough to cover her fully. "Ouch!" He smirked as she complained about getting hit.

"Ha! Gotcha!" Another snowball came and hit him on the shoulder. "Shit!" He threw the other one in the general direction he knew she was probably in, and went to hide behind Black-Rust, who made a sound as if he was rolling his eyes. Gray stared at the horse with a scowl. "Shut up! It's a strategy. I'm not hiding." Gray could swear that his horse _snorted_ at him. "I said _shut up_. It doesn't look like it, but she's strong!" He rubbed his shoulder.

"Thank you, Gray-sama." The Duke groaned when he heard the amused voice of his wife from across the glade.

"I'm getting you for this, woman!"

**#**

Half hour later, they were both exhausted, but they were in a tie! Seventeen hits for her and seventeen for him. And Gray would be damned if he was getting beat by a girl that _just_ started playing snowballs fights. He was raised with it! There was no way.

No. Way. In. Hell.

"The next one to get hit is the loser!" Gray yelled a little breathless, from behind a tree. They gave up hiding behind their horses, because they moved out of the way and it was a little embarrassing to be caught like that. Currently Black-Rust and Honey were standing together to keep themselves warmer while their stupid owners were acting like kids.

"Fine!" Juvia yelled too and he came out of his hiding place only to see her standing away from a tree, ready to hit him.

She threw a snowball at him, which he quickly dodged. He was about to throw his own when realized where his wife was standing. And it wasn't good. Not at all.

"Juvia!" He yelled. "Come back here. Now."

"Juvia will not fall for this!" She tried to move to go hide, but Gray stopped her.

"Don't move." He yelled, worried, and let his own snowball hit the floor. The Duchess stared at him in confusion. "Look… I don't want to scare you, but you're standing over a frozen river." Juvia took a breath and her eyes became big. He took a few steps towards her, carefully, so he wouldn't be standing over it as well. "I know… I _know_... But I am here, okay?" She nodded and he knew that the color that he saw in her face while playing with him was gone, because of her fear.

"That's as far as I can come." He said and there was still about two meters between them. "I need you to _slowly_ walk towards me, alright?" She nodded and started to move her feet. "Good." He said with confidence to hide the fear he was also feeling.

Actually, he was _terrified_. That river was a fierce one. If she fell… There was no way that… Stupid him for getting so caught that he forgot about the frozen river.

"You're doing great, Juvia." He smiled to her, to make her feel better. Gray offered his hand and stretched himself as far as he could. "Grab my hand and you'll be alright. I won't let you go, no matter what."

"Okay." Juvia said looking only to his hand, she gave another hesitant step and leaned to take his hand when a sound made both of them look down to her feet at the same time. A second later both looked up with fear evident in their eyes.

Immediately, Gray stepped closer to her, forgetting his own safety, but it all happened too fast.

"Juvia!" It was all Gray could say, before the ice beneath her break, making the woman disappear in the freezing water.

**#**

It was cold.

It was too cold for her to even struggle. The current was too strong to fight, but Juvia tried, anyways. All her instincts kicked in, so that she could fight with all for her life, even though she knew it wasn't going to change the outcome.

She was going to _die_ in that river.

It wasn't like she wanted to die, but she at least was happy before it happened. She never had so much fun with her husband until then. Juvia loved the way he was laughing and playing with her.

Fate really hated her. It was the _only_ explanation.

Juvia was still moving her arms trying to save herself when she touched something very solid. Without even knowing what it was, she grabbed it with all her strength, because she knew that whatever it was, it could be her only way out of there.

And she wasn't going with the current anymore. She was holding something that was strong enough to not let her go with the current!

Gathering all her strength, she pulled herself up. And again, and again, and again.

Juvia was aware that her air supply was running low. She knew because her lungs began to hurt, but she needed to keep going, or die trying. With the thought of dying, the adrenaline of her body kicked in and she gave one last pull, making her head get out of the water.

The cold air she breathed couldn't have been better.

But she wasn't out of the hook yet. She was grabbing what she found out to be a branch of a fallen tree, but it wasn't to going to last much longer.

"Juvia!" She heard her husband's voice and something inside her snapped. She was _not_ going to die there. Not when she had a life to live before she could even _think_ of going to the afterlife! She was going to grow old to meet her grandkids and tell them how in her first snow fight, she beat the almighty 31st Duke of the Ice Lands.

With another pull, she was able to hug the branch which saved her life. She was out of the water enough so her Gray-sama could see her. And she knew he was closer now, because he had been calling her name rather crazily.

"Juvia!"

' _He is coming_.' She thought. ' _He is coming for me. Gotta hold a little more_.'

"Juvia?" The Duchess saw the man's boots because her head rested on the branch and her vision was narrowed to the ground. "Thank god! I'll get you! Hold on."

She heard him jump next to her and only then she realized that she could stand, but it was too frigid for her to do anything other than feel the coldness around herself and hold on to the branch that saved her life.

She felt hands grab her waist and her back get in contact with Gray's chest. He brought her closer and said, inches from her ear: "Let it go, Juvia." He was talking about the branch, but Juvia couldn't. What if she let it go and the river gets her again?

As if he was reading her thoughts, Gray said, calmly. "I'll _never_ let you go. I promise."

And she believed him. She believed in him so much that she let go of the branch and let him take her to the shore.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should be beaten up every time I make Juvia suffer. Really. How can I make her go through these things, when I know that she's super cute? 


	11. Chapter 11

 

He needed to get her somewhere warm; her lips were far too blue and her skin too pale for his liking and the Duke knew that a trip back to the castle, receiving cold wind – even after he wrapped her in his cape – would make her even worse, so, Gray had to decide what to do as soon as he pulled his wife from the water: take her somewhere she could get warmer before returning to the castle.

So, after covering Juvia with his cape, the Duke tied Honey in Black-Rust's saddle while picking his wife up in bridal style to try and find cover for a couple of hours at least. Luckily he knew the area well enough to locate himself and remember that there were a few caves not too far from where they were.

After five minutes, Gray found the caves and put the blunette lying on the floor; she was shuddering in a worrying way, but before he could take care of her properly, they needed fire.

"Juvia, I will search for wood to burn." He told her. She tried to hold his hand, but Gray grabbed hers first and kissed it, noting how cold she was. "I am not leaving you, okay? It's just for a couple of minutes." And before she could answer him, the Duke left.

**#**

Juvia's consciousness came and went while the cold took over her body and she'd rather just pass out than shiver the way she was, but she fought the urge to sleep, while waiting for her husband to finally settle down.

She saw him start a fire – while talking to her, to keep her awake, she thought – and for a moment, she felt better, but only that wouldn't warm her up properly and the Duchess wondered what would happen.

"Juvia." Gray kneeled by her side and she opened her eyes after resting them for a moment. "I need to warm you up, but for that I need to take your clothes off." She was seeing things then, because she could swear she saw his cheeks get pinker. "Your shirt, coat and pants are soaked and it will just make you colder. I promise that you'll feel warmer later."

The Duchess would prefer that the first time he saw her without clothes would be somewhere with four walls, but at the mention of upcoming warmth she sighed in anticipation of finally feeling like a person once again and not a chunk of ice. "Y-you a-are m-my hus-hus-husband." She managed to tell him – at least they were married and no one would think it was inappropriate. "T-ta-take them o-off."

Gray nodded and reached for her feet to take off her boots and after he was done, the Duke uncovered her body, he hesitated for a second before reach for the buttons and undid them fast, then helped her sit down to push the shirt and coat away from her body and Juvia noticed that he looked everywhere but to her naked skin. The Duchess put her arms around herself to hide her body from him – maybe he didn't like it? Marge always told her that her breasts were too big for a decent girl – as she saw him reach for her pants, very concentrated on the task. She lied back on the floor and raised her hips to help him out and he still hasn't had a look.

When she was completely naked before him, Gray covered her with some blanket he had on the pouch behind the settle of Black-Rust and Juvia was about to tell him that she was still cold, not warmer like he said she would, when she saw him unbutton his own shirt.

The Duchess only saw one man without a shirt in her whole life and it had been the old man from the stables back when she was fourteen in her March; and to tell the truth she thought it was a nasty vision and if every man was like that, she'd rather be single. But her husband… he was very different from that old man; his muscles were well defined, not flaccid, for a change. His abdomen had six protuberances that she found weirdly mesmerizing.

He undid his pants and Juvia took a sharp a breath in anticipation, but let it go when she saw he was wearing his underpants and had no intention of take it off. The Duke put his clothes aside and before the blunette could say anything, Gray was underneath the blanket and by her side.

"This way you get warmer faster." Her husband informed as he put an arm under her head. "Body heat."

Juvia honestly didn't care about how it was called; the only thing she could focus was the fact that Gray was warm, so, she tried her best to snuggle onto him even more. She felt him take a sharp breath and after a moment's hesitation, he put his free arm around her.

They stayed in silence for a couple of minutes before Gray spoke. "I'm sorry that your first time out turned out this way…"

"Juvia was having fun." She whispered and tried her best to snuggle into his warmth even more. "Besides the… _river_ , it was an amazing day. Juvia had fun beating you."

"That snowball fight is _not_ over." The Duke pouted and the woman giggled with his tone. "Besides, it was beginner's luck."

"Maybe Juvia is just that good." His wife hid her face on his chest and Gray hissed, she was so very cold still. The man slid his arm so he could touch her face. "What is it?"

"You are still cold." His thumb caressed her cheek and she looked up to him, their noses touching and too close, both were too close of each other to think straight. Gray leaned in and captured her lips with his – very much like Juvia had done when she kissed him after he gave her Honey – and she could feel a tiny hesitation from him as he retrieved.

"Gray-sama." Juvia whispered, eyes half opened; but she saw the change in his eyes with just the way she said his name and before she could say anything else, his lips were on hers again, this time more forcefully and passionate.

She was surprised when he coaxed her mouth open and slip his tongue in – it felt weird at first, but she soon got the hang of it – and his hand traveled to her naked back and a shiver of excitement went through her body. Her arms, which were between them shielding her upper body from touching his, moved so she could cup his face and as result, when their chests touched, the man made a sound that made her gasp when they came out for air.

"This is so wrong." Gray whispered, their mouths still touching each other's lightly. "I can't stop, but this is wrong."

"Doesn't feel wrong." Juvia whispered, her chest touching his, her nipples pebbled and touching him in a way that made her shudder. "It feels _so_ good."

"Yes." He kissed her lips once more and the blunette felt Gray's hand travel from her back to her bottom in a slow pace, until he grabbed her bum rather too forcefully and then pulled her even closer to him, her leg circled his hips closer to hers, their groins met and the man let out a groan that made Juvia feel the place between her legs throb when she felt his hardness settle there with only his underpants as barrier.

The Duke, then, turned her a little bit – without separating them – so she was on her back and he on top of her, covering her body with his own

Juvia never felt anything like it in her entire life – forget about cold, her whole body was on fire –, but instinctively she knew that if she just rolled her hips (which she did), it would make the man on top of her moan (he did) and it would make her blood boil even more – so she did it again and again and when she felt him accompany her movements, if her mouth wasn't occupied by Gray's at the moment, the Duchess knew that she would've made a loud noise of surprise and amazedness.

Her nails dug into the skin of his shoulder, the man let out a hiss of pain but it only made him grind harder against her; the Duchess had to stop kissing him to let out a sound she couldn't name.

"Dammit, Juvia." He cussed after pulling away from her. "This should _not_ be happening right now."

"Why?" She breathed, not at all bothered by his tone and more interested in kissing his jaw.

"You just fell on a freezing river." She kissed him again and Gray pulled away before she could tempt him once more. "You are not in your right mind."

The Duchess shook her head lightly. "But Juvia liked kissing you this way." She purred.

"I… yeah, me too." There was no denying that he liked the way she kissed him – she could feel his want for her pushing on her stomach, throbbing and demanding attention – somehow that knowledge made her feel real good (the Duchess felt disappointed when he didn't look to her body earlier and would think about it when she could). "I know we are married, but you are not well enough to give your consent and this is a cave, we can't just consummate our marriage here, it's not the time or place. This is adrenalin rush." Gray tried to use reason even if his hormones were raging inside him.

"What's that?" She frowned.

"You almost died and our bodies are reacting to it." The man was taking calming breaths. "It was a trauma, you need to rest."

"Juvia _is_ feeling rather sleepy." The Duchess informed him.

"See?" Gray kissed her on the lips once again, feeling more at ease in her presence.

"But she'd rather be awake and kissing you." She whispered. "You make Juvia feel funny."

The Duke groaned. "Close your eyes and sleep. The guards will know something is wrong and they will come to find us. We can discuss this later."

"Alright." She agreed, her eyes fluttering close as she tucked her head on the place between his shoulder and neck. "Just promise Juvia that there will be more kisses like those? They were nice."

"Sure." The Duchess could feel him grinning even if she couldn't see it. "As you said, we are married."

**#**

Just as the Duke predicted, a couple of hours later, there was shouting coming from outside – which woke Gray up (he didn't even reminded falling asleep) –, he carefully untangled himself from the sleeping woman, covered her, grabbed his pants (he couldn't just appear in his underpants; he didn't care for it, but he was the Duke) and started to put them on while going outside to call for his guards. One of them found Gray and soon three more plus Loke appeared coming from the woods.

"Gray!" Loke got down from his horse when he saw the Duke. "We've been looking for hours for you and the Duchess." Noting the lack of a shirt, the orange haired man frowned. "What happened?"

"My wife fell on the river." The guards took a deep breath but Gray soon dismissed their concern, after all, only a few people could survive a situation like that. "She is fine, I managed to take her out, but she needs a doctor just in case. You." The Duke pointed to a young guard. "Go back to Avalanche Castle and tell the maids to warm water and prepare our room: light up the fireplace, put more blankets on the bed and whatever is that they do when someone could have hypothermia."

"Yes, sir!" The guard took off and Gray sighed.

"Could you take care of my wife's horse and prepare mine?" The Duke asked another guard and pointed to the horses – which were tied to a tree –, and the man nodded in agreement before following his orders. "I'll take her with me back home. Thanks." Gray stared at his friend. "I'll go wake her up and get ready."

"Do you need help with anything else?" Loke was concerned and stepped towards the cave when the Duke stepped in front of him.

"No." Gray said a little too quickly. "I mean, _no_ , thank you. She's not… decent." The Duke turned around and left to the cave before the other man could say anything.

**#**

The Duchess was awoken by her husband's gentle voice calling her name and with a hand on her shoulder; he explained that there were guards outside and now that she was warmer, they could go home. She nodded and sat down while he grabbed her clothes, which were still wet, but it was what she got to wear.

Gray helped her up – the blanket firmly around her – and gave her clothes back and turned around while she put them on and he put his own shirt back. Juvia put her pants back without saying a word and right after, her shirt. When she was about to put her coat when she decided to ask something that bothered her earlier.

"Gray-sama?" The man hummed in response that he was listening. "Is Juvia's body not of your liking?" She decided to ask before they left and they time alone ended.

"What?" With the sudden question, the Duke turned to face her; his expression of confusion.

"You… didn't _look_." She felt her cheeks get warmer. Marge told her that she had to cover up really well because men would do pretty much anything to see a naked woman and there Gray was: not even a tiny look other than the necessary. "Juvia was naked and you didn't…"

"I…" Gray cleared his throat, his cheeks getting pinker – it was happening with a concerning frequency that day. "I was trying to warm you up, not… anything else."

The blunette nodded and finished putting her coat back on. "But would you look at it if it wasn't for…?"

"Okay, _why_ are we talking about this?" Gray groaned in frustration.

"Answer Juvia." The Duchess put the blanket around herself and waited for an answer with her eyes focused on him.

"Fine." He took a deep breath. "I _did_ take a look, I liked it and that's – plus the fact that we were too close – was the reason we made out the way we did after we were under that blanket. That's your answer. Happy?" The Duke offered his hand to her. "Now can we go home?"

"Yes." Juvia gave him a smile and tried to put the blanket better positioned around her frame (her clothes were still humid so they were cold). "Is that what it was called? 'Make out'?"

"I am _not_ explaining it to you." Gray looked to the other way and then let go of her hand for a moment to put the cape he had put to dry around her. The man stepped in front of her to tie it properly and the Duchess kept staring at him.

"You promised there would be more of _that_ , though."

"So I did." He leaned and the blunette thought he would kiss her again on the mouth, but was surprised to feel his lips on her cheek instead. After the kiss, he whispered to her – his hot breath on her ear sent shivers through her body. "And we will, but right now we need to go home."

"You are mean, Gray-sama." She pouted when he gave a step back, offered his hand once again and smirked at her reaction.

**#**

The ride back home was made without any further problems; Gray shared his horse with his wife (she sat behind him with her arms around his torso and buried her face on his back to warm it up) and as soon as they arrived in the Castle, he helped her down before the maids appeared. The Duke gave her a squeeze on the hand and told her to get inside and that he would be there as soon as he took care of a few things. Juvia nodded and offered him a shy smile.

"You…" Loke punched him friendly on the shoulder as soon as the maids took the Duchess inside in order to take care of her. "So? How was it?" Gray frowned, wondering how his Chief of Guard knew about what happened. "We found you without your shirt and the Duchess wasn't decent… It doesn't take a genius to do the math. Plus, you touched her more freely this time."

"I am your Duke, I don't need to answer this." Even with a straight face such as his at the moment, the black haired man still blushed.

"Not right now you are not the Duke." Loke chuckled. "Right now I am just your friend and you are mine. Now, come on."

"We didn't… go all the way." His cheeks became pinker. "But we are… _compatible_. Maybe too much."

"There's _no_ such thing as too much compatibility when it comes to _it_ , Gray." The guardsman put his arm around the Duke's shoulders. "When a person gets married by convenience, they rarely get an unbelievable beautiful bride, and they certainly don't get a bride who would make out with them after falling into a freezing river… that's even before you two went the whole way, which means that once you properly consummate your marriage, I would expect the staff to find you in very compromising positions… Come on: she has to have a downside."

Gray thought for a moment. "Too eager?"

Loke groaned. "I _hate_ you, you lucky bastard."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a month and a half after they got married… something needed to happen, right? Lol I hope this chapter was alright!
> 
> I know that the body heat thing was a cliché, but I couldn't help myself. Haha. Plus, I made Juvia be a little more forward here because… well, she is Juvia.
> 
>   


	12. Chapter 12

 

After the incident at the river and later at the cave, Juvia started to fall ill with a nasty flu and was bedridden for a week with fever, coughing and an occasional throwing up. The doctor said that it was a mix between the Duchess being from another land and not used to the cold plus the river incident really made the process go faster. Gray stood by her side whenever he wasn't dealing with the Duchy issues and it worried him how pale, shivering and hot she was, but after the first three days, she became much better and he could breathe again.

When the week was over and the doctor cleared her to get up from the bed, Gray still insisted that she rested, but she would venture around with a maid and Gajeel not too far behind when Gray would leave their bedroom. Once he was informed about Juvia's escapades, he went to find her and met her mid walk and confronted her.

"You need to rest! Go back to bed." He told his wife.

"Juvia is fine. Being bedridden will make her feel worse rather than better." The blunette sighed and when Gray tried to persuade her, she shook her head. "Please, Gray-sama. Just for a few moments so Juvia can stretch her legs; if she feels bad, Juvia will return to bed. Please."

He couldn't very well deny her when she had those big eyes turned at him. With a sigh, Gray nodded after a moment, but instead of walking away, the Duke shrugged off his coat and put it around her. "At least put the right clothing for roaming around the corridors." He scolded her gently. "Next time, please don't wander around only with your robe as cover; wear a warm coat at least, you are recovering."

Juvia smiled and put a hand on his cheek. "Juvia will; now would you like to walk with me for a little while?"

Gray nodded and offered her his arm, which she took gladly, and they walked around the floor for a few minutes before he convinced her to return to bed to rest and this time she agreed.

In one of her walks, Juvia found a room filled with old paintings people seemed to forget about and even if the room was dusty and most of them were covered and the Duchess had to cover her nose and mouth every time uncovering them and she sneezed a lot, but, it was nice to see her husband's predecessors and distant cousins, those which Gray never even heard about, but they sent their portraits either way so the Duke could remember them.

Gajeel would stay outside, saying that he didn't do too well with confined spaces with breakable goods around and Juvia agreed. Her maid, though, would stay by the door, covering her mouth and staring daggers at the Duchess, who should be resting, not going through hundreds of old paintings covered in dust.

During the third day she started looking over the paintings of great- great- great- great- great- great-grandfathers of her husband, she found a much smaller one – compared to the others – covered with paper. Curious, she grabbed it and tore the paper apart and what she saw made her breath get caught on her throat.

**#**

"You look much better tonight." Gray commented eyeing his wife when he exited the small bath chamber wearing his sleeping clothes and a robe. She was wearing her usual nightgown and sitting on the edge of the bed, smiling widely at her husband. The truth was that she had been feeling better for a while, those past few days were more of a way for her to get her strength back.

"Juvia has something for you." The Duchess got up from the bed and grabbed his hands, pulling him towards the place she was sitting before and even confused, Gray let her do it.

"What is it?" He asked, watching her go to the other side of the bed, kneeling to get something underneath it. "Juvia?"

"Here it is." His wife said, getting up holding a large package covered with a sheet and the Duke frowned when she gave it to him, but prevented him of uncovering it. "Juvia found this earlier this afternoon." The Duchess put a hand over his and squeezed tightly. "Juvia wanted to give you something like you gave her Honey and she had no idea what, but when she saw this… This is something that you should have, that you should see every day."

Juvia nodded and Gray uncovered the mysterious gift his wife offered him and once he could see what it was, he stilled. It was a painting – fifty centimeters of height – of a woman with long white hair and dark green eyes, a kind smile and a small dark haired child in her arms. There was a dark haired man with his arm around the woman's shoulder and he looked like an older version of Gray.

Those were his parents.

To recall about his father was easy, they looked so much alike that they could've been twins, but his mother… The Duke touched the painting of his mother's face with wonder and tenderness. In his mind, for a decade, all he remembered of her were glimpses of her eyes, her smile and sometimes he could remember her smell, and now he finally remembered it all again. "This is my mother." He whispered.

"Yes." His wife answered. "Juvia found it this afternoon. Sorry that you didn't find it before."

Gray shook his head. "It doesn't matter: you did." He finally looked up to his wife, his eyes strangely tingling. "I can remember now what they were like, especially my mother. I had forgotten…" He choked. "Thank you."

The Duchess touched his cheek tenderly. "You are welcome." She looked at the painting once again and he did the same, she rested her head on his shoulder. "She was beautiful."

"She was, wasn't she?" Gray asked with a smile. "The most beautiful woman I've ever-" He stilled and then looked down to his wife. "I mean…"

With a giggle, Juvia kissed his cheeks. "Juvia won't take it personally. She was your mother; you should think she is the most beautiful woman you ever saw." The Duchess sighed. "Juvia never met hers, she only saw paintings. I wanted to at least have one memory of her, or my father's."

Gray kissed the top of her head. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Juvia looked up to him. "It's late, maybe we should sleep."

The Duke nodded and got up from the bed and walked towards the window, kneeling and putting it carefully resting on the wall, taking a moment to look at his mother's face one more time. He smiled when he closed his eyes and he could remember her calling him to come home to eat his lunch with her and his father. He had always had that memory, but for the first time in years, he hadn't seen her face foggy.

"Gray-sama?" Juvia's voice brought him back from his thoughts and he got up from the floor. The Duke smiled at her and was about to go to his couch – with Juvia being sick, he'd let her have her space to get better – when she called for him again, making the man stop and turn to look at her. "The bed's big enough for both of us." The Duchess was kneeling on the bed, biting her lower lip and looking adorable.

"Juvia…" Gray sighed.

"We don't have to… _do_ anything." She blushed. "Juvia just wants to get used to you… here." The blunette looked to the bed and then back at her husband, who still hesitated.

"You are still recovering from…"

"Juvia is feeling a lot better." The woman said quickly. "Juvia understood why you didn't want to while she was sick – it was pretty disgusting – but… Juvia wants to feel close to you."

Gray looked towards his couch and back to the bed. Well, it wasn't too hard to choose. Without taking his eyes off her, the man took off his robe and stood by the side of the bed where Juvia was kneeling and leaned down so his lips could touch hers.

That kiss was different from the others they shared: it wasn't about saying 'thank you' for a gift, it wasn't about feeling excited. No, that kiss was tender, soft and caring. Gray had no idea how she did it, but she had weaseled her way into the tender part of his heart.

Once he unlocked their lips, he didn't move away. Their noses were touching, their breaths mingled. "Thank you. For everything."

"Don't be silly, Gray-sama." She chuckled, kissing him again. "Marriage is about making each other happy." Juvia reached for his hands. "Come to bed."

He nodded and did what was told and while she arrange herself on her side of the bed. He got underneath the sheets and wondered how they would do that: was he allowed to touch her? Would he need to watch himself while sleeping?

Gray got his answer when he felt her lie her head over his chest and put a leg over his and let out a contentment sigh and he decided to rest his hand on her waist.

"Is this alright?" Juvia asked quietly.

Gray smiled and turned to the bed stand to blow the candle that was lighting the room – aside from the fireplace – and then kissed her hair before mumbling: "Yeah. More than alright."

**#**

At the same time, on the other side of the Winter Duchy at Snow Storm Castle, a man was bringing a letter to his master. Even if it was late, his Lordship asked that any news from Avalanche Castle to be delivered to his chambers whichever hour it arrived.

"Sir?" His butler knocked on the door and waited a moment before opening the door of the main room. "Master Lyon?"

Said man was seated on a very comfortable red chair in front of the fireplace, a glass of bourbon in hands. His white shirt was opened and even if he should've been asleep on his bed, he still wore his leather pants and working boots.

"Yes?" The white haired man answered without taking his dark green eyes off of the fire. "What is it?"

"A letter." The butler muttered. "From Avalanche Castle."

That caught his Lordship's attention and he raised the hand not holding the glass of bourbon so he could get the letter and once he had it, the man opened it and carefully read the words.

"Well, well, well…" Lyon smirked. "It appears that my cousin has wedded. Carlton," Lyon called his butler, "inform the men that we will be going to see the Duke at Avalanche Castle. We leave in a day. I believe that I need to meet this bride."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, I love Lyon. I tried to make him as sexy as I could because he is one handsome fella, isn't he?


	13. Chapter 13

 

During the next week, Juvia found that sharing a bed with Gray had its perks: they talked much more about their day when she was lying on his arms and their kisses became routine, but Gray still stopped when things became heated much to Juvia's frustration. She liked kissing her husband very much and he seemed to enjoy it as well by the way he was enthusiastic about it.

She was happy with her life, finally.

Gajeel, on the other hand, seemed not interested in making friends which saddened Juvia; he was such a great guy once seen past the cold and hard exterior and the Duchess wanted to see him making friends and building a life for himself.

When her husband told her that he was planning a hunting trip the next couple of days, Juvia immediately came up with the idea of having him taking Gajeel with him so her friend could bond with the other men; she only had to convince both to accept it.

She was brushing her hair, thinking about it when Gray called her from their bed. "You've been brushing your hair for fifteen minutes." He said. "I think it's enough."

Juvia looked to the mirror in front of her and saw her husband's reflection; smiling when she saw his annoyed expression.

"It is." Juvia put the hairbrush on the vanity and went to stand next to the bed while pushing her robe away, revealing her simple nightgown. "Juvia was just thinking about your hunting trip."

"I'll be away for just two days." Gray watched as his wife pushed the blanket away to lie beside him.

"Juvia knows." She told him and rested her head on his chest. "I was just thinking that it would be fun if Gajeel-kun went with you." Gray groaned in annoyance and Juvia looked up to him. "Don't be like that! Gajeel-kun is a good hunter and he's Juvia's friend."

"He hates me." Gray told her.

"He does not." He stared at her pointedly and Juvia conceded him a point. "Well, he does not like the circumstances of our wedding, but it doesn't mean that he hates you." Gray rolled his eyes. "Juvia really wants you two to one not to dislike the other and maybe a couple of days together you would know each other better and maybe at least stand being in the same room."

"Juvia..." Gray sighed. "I am supposed to go hunting with my friends to relax a bit."

"That's why this is the perfect opportunity!" Juvia sat on the bed and he frowned in annoyance by losing her body next to his. "You are going with a few friends and Gajeel-kun doesn't like crowds, so you could know him better." She was excited and it was amusing to see her that way. "Please?" She stared at him with pleading eyes and he knew he would cave in. "It would mean a lot to me."

"Fine." He said and she squealed; Juvia kissed his cheek. "But _if_ you convince him to come with us."

"He will." Juvia grinned. "If he doesn't want to, I'll just command him to." Her husband chuckled and she kissed him again, that time on the lips. Gray pulled her on top of his body and she straddled him; the Duke knew that they finished talking for the night when he started kissing her jaw and pushed the nightgown away so he could kiss her neck.

**#**

Gajeel was glaring at the Duchess with hatred as she said her good-byes to her husband. She had told him that he had to go and when he said no, she ordered and he didn’t have any arguments to refuse her; instead he just glared at her with hatred.

“Gajeel-kun.” Juvia said when her husband got up his horse and Gajeel ignored her. “Come on, don’t be like this.”

“You know I hate people and I don’t want any friends.” Gajeel finally spoke to her and she shrunk a bit under his gaze. “But you are making me go to this hunting trip with guys I don’t know just because we are all men. It doesn’t mean that I will like them. You are treating me like a child; dumping me on a play date.”

The Duchess gasped. “That’s not what I-”

“It’s done now.” Gajeel snapped and the blunette bit her lower lip while she watched him get on his horse.

**#**

Gray watched as Gajeel set his tent away from the other guys and he sighed, knowing that his wife would want him to talk to the other man.

Next to the Duke, Loke and Natsu were arguing over how and where to properly put their tents and neither noticed when Gray walked away from them and walked in Gajeel's direction.

"You don't have to talk to me." The long haired man said without look up, more interested in tying a set of complicated knots. " _I_ didn't want to come, _you_ didn't want me to come; we are only doing this because Juvia asked. I'm here, that's all I promised."

The Duke raised his eyebrows. "Why exactly you hate me so much?"

Gajeel finally looked up and Gray just waited for the answer. "I don't like lords." He said, honestly. "The ones I met are just obnoxious and know nothing of the real world. You live at your warm castles with your stomach full of food while people starve."

The Duke understood, then. It wasn’t him Gajeel was opposed, but selfish faceless men that would rather think about themselves other than his subjects.

“I see.” Gray sighed and sat down next to the other man, who just frowned and stared at the Duke in question. “You think we are all a bunch of bastards who have no idea of what it is like to have a hard life, huh?” Gray pointed to the group of men at their camp – there were about seven of them – and talked again. “See Charles over there?” He pointed to a young man with blond hair and a lanky build. “Before he joined the guard, his whole village was devastated by an avalanche and he lost his whole family before he was sent into an orphanage.” Gray pointed to another man, slightly older than them and with dark skin and greenish eyes. “Matthew joined the guard because he had nothing to feed his wife and children. He heard the job paid well.” He pointed to Loke. “He lost the woman he loved and was almost losing his mind before he came to me. The job gave him a purpose.

“Natsu,” Gray pointed to the pink-haired man “became an orphan when he was about five. He met Lucy two years ago when she ran away from home. Her father is actually the Duke of Spring.” Gajeel raised an eyebrow and Gray chuckled. “Yeah, imagine the mess when the Duke found out that his only daughter married a nobody with no money nor lands. Natsu and the Duke stand staying in each other’s presence just because of Lucy. Now they are both worried about her being pregnant.

“And me…” Gray looked up to the night sky. “When I was seven, some bandits raided our village, they killed a lot of people, my parents included. I was unconscious for about three days after that. Only then I went to live with my grandfather. I lived on the other side, Gajeel, just like you. My mother was the daughter of a Duke, but when she ran off, my grandfather didn’t give her any money, so we lived with what my dad made and it wasn’t much.”

Gajeel blinked a few times with the new gained information and Gray got up from where he sat next to him. “Now come on, stop sulking around and about because your friend made you go out with people and put your tent with the others. I have a feeling you’ll fit right in with us.” Gray started to walk towards where the rest of their party was. “Let’s see if you have any good hunting stories. They sure have some to share.”

“I’ve got some of my own.” Gajeel told the Duke and even though he didn’t move his tent closer to where the others’ were, he joined at the bonfire and sat between Gray and Natsu. By the end of it, he was laughing and drinking.

Perhaps Juvia did not have the worst idea in the world.

**#**

The Duchess felt bad about asking Gajeel to go with her husband when he clearly didn’t want to and she would’ve listened to him. The blunette decided that she would ask for him to forgive her the moment he returned, in two days.

It felt odd, sleeping alone in the bed she shared with her husband the past couple of weeks and a bit lonely too and the day Gray was supposed to get back, she didn’t want to stay inside the Castle anymore. The last time she did go out, the incident with the river happened and right after she got sick granting the Duchess no opportunity to visit the village just outside the castle’s gates, but with her husband gone and her health better, maybe it was time.

“You shouldn’t go out on your own, Juvia.” Lucy told the Duchess when she informed her plans for the afternoon. The blonde woman put a hand over her growing stomach – the child would be born in less than three months, according to the doctors – and tried to dissuade the blunette. “Gajeel went with Gray, Natsu too as did Loke. Plus, Erza is at the Spring as an ambassador. I’m sure Gray wouldn’t want you to go out without a guard he trusts.”

“Juvia will bring someone with her, don’t worry, Lucy-san.” Juvia tried to calm the woman. “I just want to go to the market. Juvia will be gone for an hour, maybe.”

“I don’t like this.” The blonde bit her lower lip. “When I was growing up, my father was always afraid of letting me go out without proper protection and I know why now: lords receive all types of threats Gray is well-liked around here, but you…”

“Juvia’s not from here, so people are against our marriage because he didn’t marry a Winter girl.” The Duchess completed the sentence. “But I just can’t stay inside forever. If they don’t see me, they’ll hate me even more.”

“I could go with you…” Lucy said, stroking her stomach.

“No, no. You stay here.” Juvia rejected the idea. “It would only make you tired and Juvia is sure that  it will be just a boring trip to the market. You told me you craved figs? Juvia will try to find some. Our husbands are meant to arrive late this afternoon and Juvia will take pity on Natsu-san and buy them for you before you crave them in the middle of the night.” Lucy smiled and nodded, making the Duchess offer a smile of her own. The blonde was a very beautiful woman and the pregnancy made her glow; Juvia knew for sure that if Lucy weren’t married to Natsu and clearly in love with him, the Duchess would’ve been very jealous of her with Gray. As it was, she just saw Lucy as a friend.

After saying good-bye to Lucy and asking the maid, Levy – the same maid Gajeel terrified when they arrived at Winter, to give Lady Lucy some company and seeing they were friends, Juvia asked a young guard, John, to be her escort for the afternoon. She made sure she was well dressed against the cold and that had enough money to buy some fruits.

The moment she stepped out from the Castle’s gates, Juvia wanted to take it all in. That first time Gray took her to ride Honey, they left through a side gate and she didn’t see the little town but as she descended the hill towards it, everything in it looked beautiful: the houses, the streets, the people.

As she strolled between the city towards the market, the residents of the town looked surprised to see her there; she supposed it was quite obvious she was high-born because of fine clothes and the guard walking around with her. Plus, the stories about the new Duchess having blue hair was a giveaway, as the majority of Winter’s citizens had either dark or white hair.

They were kind, Juvia noticed, and she relaxed while strolling the market. There were so many people, so many smells and new sights. The Duchess found everything to be interesting. Her new life had widened her horizons so much it surprised her she lasted so long being stuck inside her castle as she grew up.

John, her escort, was a few feet behind her when she finally found the figs she’d been searching for Lady Lucy and chatting excitedly with the saleswoman when she heard a scream what seemed like ‘Look out’ and then her body being tackled to the ground.

She hit her head, but it didn’t stop her from struggling against the unknown assailant pressing her down. She opened her eyes and tried to push the heavy body above her away.  “I’m not going to hurt you!” A male voice said and she finally focused on the person on top of her. He had white hair, his eyes were deep green, his cheekbones were high and his lips in a perfect cupid’s bow. He was handsome and Juvia had the feeling that she saw him somewhere else before. “I just saved your life!”

Her eyes focused past the man and he saw an arrow at the fruit’s stand stuck at a melon, right where she had been a few seconds before. It would’ve hit her if the stranger hadn’t pushed her away.

“Are you okay?” He asked and she nodded.

“Yes.” Her voice was small and she tried to smile through her fright. “Thank you.”

He blinked a couple of times as if really looking at her for the first time and Juvia just stayed quiet as he did so, his cheeks reddened and as if he had just noticed that he was still atop of her, the white-haired man got up and offered her a hand, which she took it.

The whole ordeal could not have lasted more than a few seconds, but it sure seemed much longer than that. A crowd formed around them and Juvia saw John holding a man and a crossbow on the ground. Two more guards – with grey cloaks instead of white – were keeping the people away from her and the stranger.

“Lady Juvia!” John called her. “Are you hurt?”

The blunette shook her head, feeling the back of her head throb and her dress and hair dirty with mud, but besides that, she seemed fine. “No. I’m not hurt.”

The stranger with white hair frowned and stared at her. “Lady? I thought it was strange a Duke’s guard walking around with a woman.” He offered her a gentle smile. “Are you a friend of the new Duchess?”

“No, I’m-” She tried, but John interrupted her.

“What are you talking about? _She_ is the new Duchess.”

The stranger’s eyes widened as he stared at her and Juvia could see something she couldn’t name pass through his eyes before he looked her up and down. A couple of seconds later, he bowed his head slightly as he took one of her hands. “It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Juvia.” He said. “I don’t know if you heard of me, but I am Gray’s cousin, Lyon Vastia. It’s lovely to meet you.” Lyon kissed her hand while the Duchess looked surprise. “Maybe we should head to Avalanche Castle, milady? We have a lot to talk about.”

**#**

The hunting party arrived when the sun was setting; they had caught two deer and looked proud of their doing. Juvia ran to meet her husband when it was announced he arrived, Lucy walking behind her in a much slower pace.

Juvia saw him get off Black-Rust in one swift motion before handing the reins to a stable boy. She stopped just a few steps from him, knowing he wasn’t fond of public shows of affection – their kisses had only been exchanged when they were alone, aside for the one at the wedding ceremony – and he smiled when he saw her.

“Juvia.” He bowed slightly.

“Gray-sama.” She beamed. “Did you have a nice hunt?”

“I did.” Gray looked proud. “We caught two deer and some rabbits. Gajeel has great aim.”

Hearing her friend’s name Juvia saw him getting off from his horse and when she shot her husband a questioning look, he nodded, giving her leave to talk to him.

“Gajeel-kun.” The Duchess said when she was close enough for him to hear and, even with his back to her, his body tensed, she noticed. “I’m sorry. You were right, Juvia shouldn’t have treated you that way, it should’ve been your choice to go and Juvia was being selfish and ordered you to go.” He still hadn’t turn around to look at her, preferring to gather his belongings from the satchels on top of his horse. “Can you forgive Juvia?”

“If you promise not to do this again.” He told him from over his shoulder and he saw as she nodded vehemently. “Alright.” Juvia was about to say something when two of the men who went on the trip walked past Gajeel and slapped him on the back with big grins and told him that he was welcomed at their next trip before they bowed to the Duchess and took their leave.

Juvia stared at her friend, surprised with the camaraderie; she thought Gajeel would’ve sulked the whole trip and spoiled it for everyone involved.

Seeing her confusion, Gajeel grinned. “So yeah, you were right, I give you that; it was not so bad to go out, but you just promised not to do it again and you can’t go back on your word.” He walked away, chuckling, knowing that she would be annoyed at him: if she had just waited a minute before talking to him, she would’ve been proven right.

She was about to call her friend when she saw Gray stand next to her. “Let him have this; you were right, but you shouldn’t have pushed him.” Juvia turned to look at him. “And yes, I find that he is a good guy. Rough around the edges but not so bad once you know him.”

The Duchess grinned and twined her arm in his. “Thank you for doing this.”

“It’s fine.” He told her. “Now I’d like to get inside, eat something, take a hot bath and sleep in our bed.”

“Oh, Juvia has a surprise for you!” The blunette said and Gray frowned in confusion and followed his wife inside, towards the great hall. Once they were almost entering, he asked: “What is it?”

“Look who came to visit you!” The Duchess said, excited, pointing to the other end of the room and when Gray looked at the direction she pointed and saw the man standing there, his whole body tensed up; Juvia didn’t noticed because she had released his arm to walk towards Lyon. “We met when Juvia went to the village’s market earlier this afternoon.” She failed to notice the tension in the room; Lyon and Gray were staring at each other as she talked. “Lyon-sama… helped Juvia.”

Lyon finally tore his gaze from his cousin’s and stared at the blunette, offering her a warm smile. “Lady Juvia, I would’ve never let that man harm you. It would’ve prevented me of your company.” Juvia giggled and the moment his cousin’s words sank in, Gray looked at his wife, concerned.

“What does he mean with someone trying to harm you? Are you okay?”

The Duchess smiled, reassuring him. “Yes. Nothing happened; Lyon-san prevented it.”

Gray stepped closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders, trying to find if she was hurt at all even when she told him she was fine. “But what exactly happened?”

“There was a man with a crossbow aiming at Lady Juvia,” Lyon said and Gray’s body tensed again before he turned slightly to look at him, “and when I saw he was about to shoot it, I acted and pushed her away before the arrow hit her.” The white-haired man shifted his gaze to Juvia. “I hope that you told me the truth and you are not hurt; I pushed you quite roughly at the ground. Was my weight too much for you?”

“No, it’s fine.” Juvia said the same time her husband stared back at her, asking: “What does he mean by his weight?”

“Juvia just bumped the back of her head, it’s all fine.” She told Lyon. “It doesn’t matter, Lyon-sama. Juvia is grateful you helped.”

“My pleasure.” He smiled, charming her, and then stared at his cousin. “Your guard caught the man who tried to harm Lady Juvia. He’s at the dungeon, I suppose.”

Gray’s jaw hardened. “Thank you for your assistance.” He said between gritted teeth and only then Juvia noticed his tension.

“Are you alright, Gray-sama?”

“Fine.” He snapped and she winced with his harshness, making Gray regret it immediately. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting to see Lyon here, it caught me off guard. We didn’t… part in good terms the last time we saw each other.”

Juvia frowned in confusion to her husband, but stared at Lyon when he spoke. “Gray speaks of the time I refused to become the next Duke and he had to step in.” Juvia blinked in surprise. “Oh, he didn’t tell he wasn’t the one who was supposed to be Duke?”

Gray stepped between Lyon and Juvia. “But I _am_ and you better remember that.” Lyon’s green eyes shined in a way Gray didn’t like one bit. “Juvia.” Gray said without taking his eyes off his cousin, but knew she heard him because she gasped in surprise with his cold tone. “Could you go tell one of the maids that we will eat in our room tonight? They don’t need to prepare anything special, some bread, cheese and wine will do. I need to talk to my cousin for a few minutes. Alone.”

“Yes, Gray-sama.” Juvia muttered and she threw Lyon a look before running off the room.

Once Gray heard that she closed the heavy door behind her on her way out, the Duke snarled at his cousin: “What are you doing here?”

“It’s been awhile since I came here so when I heard you got married, I had to come here to see for myself. It’s a two week ride from Snow Storm, but it was worth it.” Lyon smirked. “I think that I missed out on that one, huh?” Gray’s eyes narrowed and Lyon could see he didn’t see the meaning behind his words, so he clarified. “She’s rightfully mine.”

“ _What_?” The Duke couldn’t hide his confusion and bafflement.

Lyon smiled. “Don’t play dumb, Gray. It does not suit you. When I was born, I was the rightful heir. I was the 31st Duke by heritage; as far as we know, Grandfather wanted _me_ to marry _her_.” The white-haired man could see Gray’s mind working by his expression. “She was mine until the moment I gave up being…”

“Yes, you _gave up_.” Gray snapped. “Everything that belonged to the 31st Duke came to _me_ and _I_ had to accept it, because there was no one else to take care of this land – the land _you_ abandoned!”

“I am here now.” Lyon opened his arms.

Gray stepped closed to his cousin and grabbed Lyon by his shirt. “ _No_. You can’t return after five years with your tail between your legs and try to take it all back. I accepted my position as the Duke; everyone else has accepted too. You can _not_ disturb peace again just because your life full of wonders is dull now. And you certainly can’t come to _my_ house and try to steal _my_ _wife_.”

Lyon didn’t even tried to push Gray’s hand away. “It wouldn’t be stealing: I would just claim what was already mine.”

Gray pushed Lyon to the wall behind him with a loud thud, he could barely contain his rage. “She isn’t yours.”

After a whimper of discomfort when his back hit the wall, Lyon had the nerve to smirk. “For what I heard, she is not yours either.”

Confusion passed through the Duke’s expression before he asked in a snarl: “What are you talking about?”

“You two didn’t consummate the marriage.” Lyon said and felt Gray’s grip on his shirt loosen a little.

Gray’s face reddened. “It’s none of your business. Besides, you can’t prove anything.”

“Oh, but I can.” Lyon’s white teeth glowed with the light coming from the room’s fireplace. “We have servants to change the dressings of our beds, Gray; they know exactly what happens inside our rooms and from what I hear, you haven’t touched her yet and a simple examination would suffice to check that.” Gray’s reaction was to put his forehead on Lyon’s throat and push until the white haired man couldn’t help it but to try to push his cousin away, red faced by the lack of oxygen.

Gray released Lyon, knowing he would most likely die if he kept going, and the white-haired man fell into his knees, gasping for air. “You will leave tomorrow, because I swear, Lyon, if you are still here in the morning, I will _kill_ you.” And with that, Gray turned around and left without looking back.

Once he could breathe properly once more, Lyon panted. “Damn it, Gray. Can’t you see I’m trying to save you?”

**#**

He was still angry when he entered the room he shared with Juvia and saw her waiting for him next to the fireplace and she was startled when he slammed the door behind him.

“Gray-sama, you scared m-” Juvia put a hand over her chest.

“What exactly happened at the market today? What did Lyon tell you?”

Juvia frowned in confusion, but when she saw the thundered expression in her husband’s face, she quickly described what transpired ever since she told Lucy about her trip to the market, the man with the crossbow, Lyon pushing her out of the way and their return to Avalanche Castle.

By the end of the tale, Gray was walking in circles around the room. “He didn’t say anything else?”

“No.” Juvia was confused. “We talked about his life at Snow Storm, the places he has been and places Juvia wants to visit. Why? What was he supposed to say to Juvia?”

Gray stepped closer to his wife. “I don’t want you alone with him, do you understand me? I don’t know what his plan is, but it has to do with you and I-” He stopped when he felt Juvia’s hand on his cheek; the softness of her skin calming him a little.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” She whispered, but he just shook his head and she sighed. “You are tired from the hunt and with Lyon-sama’s visit. Come on, the maids prepared a hot bath for you.” Juvia pushed his coat off him and he let her, knowing her words to be accurate and when she was finished, she kissed his lips lightly and before she could step away from him, Gray pulled her to him by the hips and deepened the kiss, to her surprise and delight.

The Duchess squealed when she felt the bed nudging on the back of her knees before Gray pushed her to the mattress without stop kissing her. Her head was spinning with the way he was kissing her, he never kissed her that way. It was like he was desperate for her.

Gray knew that she wanted to slow him down, that she wanted to talk to him about what was happening between him and Lyon, but he didn’t want to deal with it just yet, not when he was moved to kiss her neck, her back arching while she bit her lower lip to keep as quiet as she could.

“Gra-” Juvia breathed as her nails dug into his back.

“I need you.” He knew that his hold on her hips was maybe a little too hard, but he just wanted to feel her and nothing else. If he had her right then and there, Lyon would have nothing to hold against him and she would stay at Avalanche Castle, because Gray knew that with the right argument, his marriage would be easily annulled.

“Slow down.” Juvia breathed when she felt his hand move from her hip to underneath her dress, his hand travelling from her thigh to her ass and bringing her close to where his need for her kept rising and she gasped with the new sensation. A knock on the door made both freeze in place.

“I-” Juvia whispered. “I think it’s the food you asked for.”

Gray blinked a few times and Juvia could see him paling slightly when he realized that he almost push her to have sex with him before he pulled away from her to stand next to the bed. “What I almost did?” He asked himself and Juvia sat on the mattress; when she grabbed his hand, he snatched off her grasp. “It shouldn’t happen like this. I’m… I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apol-” She didn’t finish the phrase because he was already on his way to the door before she could call his name, he was out of their bedroom, scaring the maid who had just brought what was supposed to be their dinner and leaving his wife more than confused.

**#**

When Gray didn’t return to their bedroom that night, Juvia didn’t go searching for him because she doubted she would find him if he didn’t want to be found. Plus, if he returned, she wanted to be there waiting for him.

After a nap when she was too tired to stay awake, the Duchess woke up when the sun was coming up and she quickly made up her mind: she was getting to the bottom of what was happening between Lyon and her husband.

She went on with her morning routine and went to the dining room, asking a maid to summon Lyon – she could’ve gone to the room he stayed that night, but Gray’s warning about her not being alone with Lyon passed through her mind. The dining room was of free access to the staff and if she raised her voice, she could be overheard easily.

Ten minutes after the maid left, Lyon and his valet – a man in his late thirties with dark blonde hair – entered the room and once he saw it was only Juvia in there, he told the older man to leave him and the Duchess alone.

“Lady Juvia.” Lyon bowed his head. “I am surprised you called for me so early. Where’s Gray?”

Ignoring his question, Juvia tried to gather all of her courage. “Lyon-sama, I need to know exactly why you are here and why you upset Gray-sama so much yesterday.”

Lyon blinked two times before he took a few steps in her direction, studying her features. “I am trying to set him free of the obligation I threw at him five years ago when I reject to become the Duke. It was never his burden, it was mine and he had to bear it because I was afraid I couldn’t live the way I wanted in here. He was fourteen and I was seventeen, yet he was braver than me.”

Juvia pondered his words, trying to keep her expression to betray the mess her mind was. “And why would he tell me not to be alone with you?”

The white-haired man’s eyebrows rose up but he looked straight into her eyes and said: “Because you were supposed to be my bride and if I have you, I can be the rightful Duke again."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, folks. ~runs~


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeeere comes the drama!

 

Juvia blinked a few times, trying to understand Lyon’s words. What did he mean about her being his bride? She was meant to be Gray’s wife. Wasn’t she? It was what everyone told her, that she was supposed to be given to marriage to the 31st Duke-

“ _You_ were supposed to be the Duke.” Juvia whispered, eyes wide and she took a step back. “Not Gray-sama. _You_.” She was supposed to marry Lyon Vastia, not Gray Fullbuster. Everything she thought about fate joining her and Gray was void?

“Hey, hey, hey.” Lyon was by her side a second later, holding her by the shoulders. “You went white as a sheet.” He led her towards a chair and made her sit down. “Don’t faint on me now. Gray would skin me alive.” Hearing her husband’s name, her eyes became wider. “Okay, not mentioning his name, then.”

“Juvia was supposed to marry you instead of Gray-sama.” She whispered.

“You never made the connection.” Lyon finally understood, and spoke softly. “I was first in line to succession, Gray was the second – when I gave up being Duke, he was the next to get the title. And with the title, he got you.”

The Duchess stared at Lyon for some time, thinking how much different everything could’ve been if he hadn’t given up the title, if she had married him instead of her husband. Would she still be happy? Would she fall in love with him?

She didn’t have much more time to think about it, because the next thing she heard was her husband’s angry voice and steps. “What did I tell you about still being here in the morning? What are you doing to her?” She felt Lyon being pulled away from her side and her husband putting himself between the two of them.

“I was going away, but then Lady Juvia summoned me to talk.” Lyon scowled. “I wished not to mistreat her and came, where I told her why I am here.”

Gray al but snarled. “We’ve had this conversation, Lyon.”

“Yet here we are, having it again.” Lyon snapped. “I am trying to do the right thing! I am tired of feeling a coward, of burdening you with my responsibilities. You were supposed to have gotten a good and free life, married someone you wanted to and not doing it out of an obligation our grandfather commanded to. It was all me but I was a coward and I left it all for you.”

“Guess what, it is my burden now.” Gray yelled at his cousin. “I told you before that I am the Duke.”

“Goddammit you don’t get it!” Lyon became angry. “People had never been happy that you are not a Vastia, but they tolerated it because they thought you would find some lesser noble woman from Winter to marry and ground your claim; but you did not.” He pointed at Juvia. “They had been trying to kill her since the day you married her and just yesterday they almost succeeded.”

Juvia’s eyes widened and Gray’s body tensed as he asked, voice low: “ _What?_ ”

“I didn’t know until I was halfway here.” Lyon sighed. “At first I was going to come here to see how you were doing, if you were happy and meet her.” He looked at Juvia. “And for the first time in years I _truly_ regretted stepping down.” With Gray’s growl, Lyon returned his attention back at his cousin. “But then an old friend of the Vastias told me that there are radicals wanting me back – that’s not news, I’ve got supporters everywhere – but he also told me that there is another group that likes _you_ , but doesn’t want _her_ as your Duchess; they’d rather have a Winter girl beside you.”

Juvia finally got up from the chair, her legs wobbly as she walked to stand by Gray’s side. “Why” her throat suddenly felt dry “why did you say that if you had me, you could be Duke again?” By the corner of her eye, she saw her husband tense even more.

Lyon stared at her for a moment. “My plan was fairly simple and it would help all of us to stay alive and well. The document says the _31 st Duke_ and by all means, that is _I_ and I could easily win it in any court of law; plus, the fact that you haven’t consumed the marriage would help. If I were to marry you, Lady Juvia, it would mean that I am the Duke, not my cousin otherwise I wouldn’t have won the plea.”

“How does that benefit _us_?” Gray said between gritted teeth.

“My marriage to Lady Juvia would’ve been seen much better than yours, as I have the right name to be the Duke and the attempts on her life would be significantly lower and she would still maintain her new title. You, Gray, would be anything you want, you would be free of your currently duties and live your life as you should have in the first place. And I know how you will react if something happens to her because of you, Gray.” Lyon looked at his cousin right into his eyes. “Even if I don’t claim the Duchy, she would be safer with me back in Snow Storm Castle – all the demands from the document would be met. You are fond of her, Gray, as you should be of the woman you wedded, and it would destroy you the moment you knew why she was hurt or dead.” Juvia looked at her husband and saw that he had gone pale and it worried her. “I am trying to save you from _yourself_. Stop this now before it goes any further and ends up in heartache.”

The three of them stayed in silent for a minute before the older man sighed. “I am going to stay at an inn in the town. I’ll let one of the guards know which one. When you have an answer for me, I will be there. Don’t take too long.” Lyon bowed in Juvia’s direction and walked out the door.

A moment later, Juvia turned to her husband just to see his jaw set and eyes bright with anger. “Gray-sama, we need to-”

He looked at her, eyes cold. “You are not to leave the castle, do you understand me? Not even with guards.”

“Gr-”

“ _Do you understand me_?” He almost yelled and she shrank back.

“Y-yes.” Without another word, Gray turned and walked out of the door his cousin had just a minute before and Juvia, once more, found herself alone. This time, she cried.

**#**

When Gray once again didn’t go to their bed that night, Juvia put a coat, grabbed a candle and went searching for him. Gajeel followed her a few steps back, watching over her as always. Earlier that day when he found her in tears at the dining room, he had been worried and let her hold on to him until she stopped crying and went into a state where she just stared at nothing for almost half an hour before she got up and closed herself into her room.

At the moment, though, Gajeel recognized the look in her eyes enough so not to interfere with whatever her plans were.

Once they stood in front of Gray’s office, Loke was outside, his usually easygoing demeanor gone, instead he was in high alert and with a deep frown in his face. When he saw the Duchess, he sighed in relief. “He had meetings all day and is exhausted, angry and feeling hopeless.”

She straightened her back. “Juvia will help with that. Don’t enter, no matter what.” Both guards frowned in confusion and the Duchess sighed. “We will mostly like have our first fight; I just don’t want you two getting caught in the crossfire.” They nodded and, gathering her courage, Juvia opened the door and stepped in.

Gray was sitting on a chair in front of a big fireplace, where the only light inside the room came from. The large carpet made of grey fur her husband once told her came from wolves had an empty bottle of whisky lying in the middle of it and Juvia saw Gray holding an empty glass. His eyes were close, the buttons of his shirt, unmade and he looked so tired she felt her heart hurt.

“Go away, Loke. Not in the mood.” He muttered.

“Not Loke.” She said quietly and before she could do anything else, he was already on his feet.

“Juvia.” He breathed, putting the glass on the small table by the chair. “I thought you were already asleep.”

“Couldn’t.” She said, casually walking towards the carpet and picking up the bottle. “My husband had yet to come back to our bed.” Juvia stepped closer to Gray and put it next to the glass.

He put a hand over his eyes and then passed it through his hair. “Lyon’s words this morning made me try to gain information. I spoke to the man who almost shot you with that arrow, then I gathered my councilmen.” Gray’s dark eyes finally met hers. “It’s real, Juvia. The threat against you. Those stupid old men hid it from me because they didn’t want to break our marriage, but some of them also think that what Lyon suggested has some merit.”

It took her a moment to speak. “You were discussing if we should dissolve our marriage or not.”

“Yes.” He looked down, ashamed. “I hate to say this, but Lyon is right when he says that you would be safer with him.” Juvia noticed his fists tighten. “I can surround you with a thousand of my men and they could still get to you and I don’t want you dead. My cousin is right, it would destroy me.” He finally looked at her. “Maybe you should go, it could be safer. I want you safe.”

Juvia stared at him for a few seconds before sighing. “Do you know what safety is for Juvia? It’s a cold distant castle where its people barely knowledge me. It’s a place she’s not allowed to go outside, a place she has to ask for permission to do anything. For eighteen years that was Juvia’s life: safe. But what does it matter to be safe when you live in a prison? Actually, that was no life at all.” She took a step back before turning around and walking towards the fireplace. “It was a surprise to learn that Juvia should have been married to someone else. That she wasn’t supposed to be yours.”

Gray stopped the urge to groan with that statement. “Juvia…”

“Let me finish.” Juvia looked to him over her shoulders before her gaze returned to the fireplace. “Today Juvia was wondering how much her life would have been different.”

“You were thinking about how your life would have been if you married Lyon, instead of me.” He stated; his tone dry and anger started to build inside him. He was concerned about her and she was thinking about her life with some other man already? It hurt him deeper than he thought it would.

“Yes.” She nodded.

“And what was your conclusion?” Gray asked and he knew that his tone was as icy as the lands he ruled over.

“I… got the conclusion that I could have been happy.” She stated and, for some reason, Gray felt like someone was putting a knife into his stomach and was twitching it slowly. When he was opening his mouth to say something, she continued to talk. “I could have been happy until I met you.”

Gray stopped, with his mouth still open and frowned. “W-what?”

“As far as Juvia could tell Lyon-san is a good man; he was very concerned with Juvia even when he didn’t know who I was, he looks as if he’d treat his wife the best and any woman would have been lucky to get someone like him to get married, Juvia included.” The woman was looking to the floor, them. “And he would’ve treated me like a queen, and would have been nice and I would probably end up loving him after some time. I would have been happy.” Her voice cracked a little and Gray could only look to her in surprise; somehow his heart seemed to have been broken and he didn’t know why.

She turned around then, and he could see she was crying. “But one day, I would have met you. I _know_ I would meet you. A-and I know that when that moment happened, I would still have fallen for you.” She tried to wipe her tears off with one hand. “One look at you and my heart would beat faster, my hands would sweat and, for a moment, I would forget that I was married to a nice man.” She took two fast breaths and tears started to fall again. “Then every time I saw you, I would feel that and I would end up hating myself for it.”

“Juvia…” Gray was dumbfounded with her imagination.

“I know, Gray-sama.” She shook her head. “Just like I know that you wouldn’t even look at me if I were the wife of your cousin. And I know that even if you did, it would never happen between the two of us; you are too honorable to do that.”

“You overestimate me.” Gray tried.

“No. You wouldn’t.” She shook her head and stayed in silence for a few seconds. “And, by the end… my heart would have been broken.” She moved her eyes to his. “Today my head came up with many different scenarios, and every time I had the same thought: ‘ _Thank God destiny made the man I love and my husband to be the same person’_ and then I felt _so_ relieved.”

Gray’s heart cartwheeled with her words. “Juv…”

“First I thought that…” She continued, ignoring his try to interrupt her. “Since I would have met him first, my heart would have been empty for Lyon-san to fill.” Juvia laughed nervous. “Maybe if I had met him before…” The woman smiled sadly. “But… You still would have overwhelmed me. You still would have made me fall for you without even trying. And I still would have loved you more than I thought it was possible.”

They were both silent.

“How?” Gray asked in a low voice after putting his own thoughts together. “How do you know that? How can you possibly know that when you said yourself that you would be happy with him? That he would treat you like a queen?”

“Because I know myself.” Juvia smiled sadly, while trying to dry her cheeks, but her falling tears made it hard. “And I don’t want to be a queen to the man that I love.” She gave a few steps and put a hand on his cheek. “I want to be his partner and equal. And you do that. You helped me enjoy life, you set me free.”

Gray looked to her in disbelief. “But…”

“Don’t.”  She put her finger on his lips pro prevent him from talking, while her hand was still in its place, on his cheek. “You can try the rest of your life to tell me that I am wrong, and it wouldn’t change what I feel.” She removed her finger and stared at his eyes for some time. “It doesn’t matter who I was married to, what world I was in; I am so much in love with you that I would find you, even though we couldn’t be together.” She smiled softly. “ _That’s_ my conclusion.” She leaned and kissed his lips lightly.

“You would be safer…” He whispered when their lips unlocked.

“Juvia doesn’t want safety. Juvia wants to stay here. She’d rather live a week with you by her side with a hundred people trying to kill her, than fifty years safe and without you.”

“I could make you go.” Gray said, their noses touching, lips hovering hers. “I could make it happen.”

“If you want me to go, Juvia will go.” She whispered and grabbed his shirt while he put his hands on her hips, bringing her closer. “I just told what I feel because if you do tell Juvia to leave, I want you to know that it is because _you_ are afraid, not _me_.”

“Juv-” He was interrupted by a peck on his lips.

“Tell me to go and Juvia will be gone in the morning.” Before he could answer, she kissed his lips – she figured out that if she kept asking questions and kissing him at the same time, the odds turned in her favor. “Tell me.”

“I should.”

“What is the first thing that comes to your mind when I say that I am leaving?” Juvia asked and Gray pulled her even harder into his chest.

“Don’t.” He growled and the blunette beamed at him.

“Never.” She kissed him again, that time deeper and longer just like they did before went to sleep and she could feel his body lose the tension he had been carrying on his shoulders from the moment he’d seen his cousin the day before. When they had to part for air, she let go of his shirt and took a step back and Gray sighed. He was about to suggest they return to their bedroom when he felt Juvia’s small hands touch his chest where his shirt was open.

With a gasp, Gray was about to ask what she was doing when their eyes met and he became bewitched. She caressed her way up his shoulders and pushed the shirt away with absolutely no complain from him.

The moment the shirt fell on the floor, Gray felt the air around him get tense, especially when his wife took a step back, reach for the knot on the belt holding her coat together and undo it. His breath got caught in his throat when she slid it off and let it also fall to the floor. He had seen her nightgown every time they went to sleep, and he had seen that one many nights, but that night it was different.

“Juvia.” His voice was hoarse. “We don’t have to just because-”

She smiled. “Juvia is not doing this just so no one can nullify our wedding although it is a nice plus. She is doing this because Juvia is in love with you. She has wanted to become your wife in every sense for weeks now. I am certain; you are the one who still hesitates.” She stepped closer to him once again. “I know I’ve told you a lot of times tonight that I love you, and I do, but I am not asking you to tell me back. I can love for the both of us in this marriage. Just don’t shut me away. Stop not returning to bed when you are upset. It’s harder to cure you with love when you are nowhere to be found.”

Juvia stepped away from him again and went to stand in the middle of the furred carpet. She turned away from him and took her nightgown off; her naked back made Gray’s heart beat faster, especially when she looked over her shoulder with a smile. “Juvia wants to do this because it feels right. It’s your decision now.”

It took Gray less than a second to make up his mind and stride towards his wife and wrapping his arms around her waist and kiss the side of her neck. She was correct, it seemed: it _did_ feel right.

“We should’ve gone to our bedroom.” He whispered in her ear when one of his hands traveled up and massaged a breast, earning a low moan from her.

“Didn’t want to give you time to change your mind.” She gasped and Gray couldn’t help but to chuckle – only his wife could’ve walked in when he was in one of the worse moods of his life and ten minutes later make him forget about it.

“Maybe you’ll be the one who will change your mind this time around.” Gray told her and turned her around, just to see a look of determination in her eyes. “Or not.” He mumbled when she reached for the lace of his pants and suddenly Gray felt his cheeks get warmer – it wouldn’t be his first or second time with a woman, but Juvia was different. What if he did something wrong and traumatized her? He was about to tell her to slow down when he noticed a slight tremble of her hands. “Hey.” He grabbed her hands. “Why are you shaking? Are you afraid?

Juvia nodded, but before he could tell her anything, his wife spoke, eyes down in shame: “I’m afraid to do something wrong or that you won’t like.”

And just like that Gray’s fears fled through the window. He kissed one of her hands. “You won’t.”

Feeling much more confident than before, Gray pulled his wife closer to him and kissed her, trying to transpire all the desire he had for her. He tried his best to kick off his boots without losing a single moment of her body pressed against his, but when he noticed it would require more than willpower to get them off, he cursed when he stopped kissing his wife and took the boots off while she giggled. When he had kicked them off, he shut her up by kissing her again.

Gray pulled her up by the back of her thighs and she wrapped her legs around his waist; he lowered them to the furs and carefully laid her down. Their lips unlocked and Gray pulled back from his wife to look at her and his breath got caught in his throat with the sight. Her blue looked like a halo, spread on the grey wolf furs. Her mouth was getting redder because of his kisses and her blush went from her cheeks down to her breasts and her eyes, oh, her eyes held so much trust and lust he just wanted to do his best.

He kissed her lips and trailed towards her jaw and neck with expertise – they had gone that far – but when his lips reached for her collarbone and then on the top of her breasts, Juvia gasped in surprise and right after a startled yelp pleasure when he reached her nipple while his hand squeezed her other breast. He did the same with the other breast after a few moments and her reactions pleased him very much, especially when she had not tried to be quiet at all.

“Th-this…” She tried to talk, but Gray’s other hand had been slowly traveling between her legs and she gasped when she felt him brush her sex. “Gray-sama!” She became an adorable shade of red when tried to close her legs and Gray smiled before kissing her lips.

“Trust me?” He asked her in a whisper and she nodded without hesitation. “Then trust me on this.”

With the slightest moment of hesitation, Juvia did what was told and Gray kissed her lips once more and at the same time, his fingers mapped the outside of her sex before gently opening the outer lips – to which she gasped in the kiss, but made no movement to stop him. Gray kissed his way down to her chest once more just when his fingers found the bundle of nerves, and his wife let out a startled moan.

“What- wha-?” She tried to ask, but Gray was gently caressing it and making her feel things she never felt before. The first finger he introduced inside her she had bit her lip and even though it felt weird, Gray’s ministrations on the unknown spot made her feel good. The second finger he introduced, though, made her squirm in delight – his touches were making her get _somewhere_ , she knew it. “Gray-sama.” She moaned his name and immediately he stopped kissing her breasts and kissed her lips instead, his fingers now in a slow pace of going in and out of her. “This feels good.” She was able to say before he curled them inside her and she let out a tiny scream.

After that, Juvia couldn’t keep up with what happened, not with Gray touching her so intimately and making her want to… she didn’t even know _what_ she wanted to do, but perhaps Gray did. “Please. I need… _Please_.” Gray moved his fingers faster and a few moments later she heard him mutter something, but for the life of her, she couldn’t understand because her body was suddenly on fire and she felt pleasure like never before.

On the back of her mind she could still feel Gray’s fingers inside her and hear his muttered words, but she felt boneless in the most delectable way. Lips pressed on hers and she lazily kissed back, her mind still foggy. “What was that?” She asked, dreamily and Gray just chuckled and kissed her cheek.

“We can stop here if you want.”

His voice made her feel more alert as she shook her head. “No.” Somehow, making her feel so good only made Juvia want him more, even if she didn’t complete understand it. “I want everything.” Juvia saw him stare at her eyes, as if searching something. He mostly like it found it as the next thing she knew, Gray was on top of her, kissing her lips once again.

Juvia noticed his hand between them as he unlaced his pants and pull it down enough he could free himself, and when it touched her center, Juvia suddenly got worried, but pushed it away. She didn’t even want to see it. Better not know exactly the size of what was about to enter her.

“I’m sorry, this can be uncomfortable.” Gray muttered and she nodded.

“Don’t worry.” The blunette smiled sweetly. “Juvia wants this.”

Gray nodded and kissed her again and put a hand on her sex once more before his fingers were traded by his shaft and Juvia’s breathing got faster as he gently nudged forward. It hurt a little bit, but by the way her _aya_ had told her, she thought by the time it happened, she would be begging for death.

Instead, it burned a little as her insides stretched to accommodate him and it felt weirder than anything else she’s ever experienced and when finally stopped moving forward, Juvia was biting her lower lip and a couple of tears fell from her tears, which was weird because she wasn’t in enough pain to cry. When Gray saw them, he stilled and kissed her lips lightly.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered and she shook her head.

“Juvia is fine.” She told him and repeated the gesture, kissing him. “It just feels weird, but I’m not hurt.”

“Are you sure?” Gray asked and Juvia could see his brows furrowed as he mostly likely tried to contain himself.

“Yes.” Juvia grinned and raised her hips, making both gasp. “You can move.”

Gray nodded and slowly moved his hips and after a while, instead of only feeling the burning, Juvia started to feel slightly better and she held on to her husband’s back, her fingernails digging on his skin and whenever he brushed somewhere nice inside her, she moaned.

“You are so wet.” Gray whispered in her ear and she didn’t know why, but it made her feel hot all over to hear him breathless while moving inside her. “So fucking tight. I can’t believe it.” Juvia just whimpered and when he started to pick up his pace, Juvia searched his lips and crashed them together in a messy kiss just when he suddenly thrusted inside her and went still. Juvia could feel something warm inside her, but was much more interested in kissing her husband and caress his back.

His weight didn’t bother her, yet the moment he seemed to move, he exited her and fell beside her on the furs, both their breathings hard. Gray looked at her and she looked at him and both fell into laughter.

“Why did we wait again?” Gray asked when he saw Juvia cuddle next to him like she did when they were at their bed.

“ _You_ said we weren’t ready.” Juvia answered, kissing his jaw. “But I’m glad we waited.” Juvia traced some mindless patters on his chest with her finger. “It was much more special this way.”

“Yes.” Gray smiled and pulled her closer to him, trying to shield her from the cold even if thy were close to the fireplace – he found her discarded coat not too far away from where they were and with some trouble, managed to grab it and put it over them. “We should’ve done this on our bed, not on the floor.”

“Stop it.” Juvia said. “It happened and Juvia wouldn’t trade for anything else. It was perfect.” Gray sighed and nodded. “Juvia guesses that no one can annul our marriage now, can they?”

“No.” Gray smiled. “But we should probably do it again just to make sure.” Juvia fell into a fit of giggles and nodded. A few moments later, he asked: “How are you feeling?”

Juvia thought for a second, trying to feel the new places of her body she just discovered. “A little sore, but that’s all.”

“Good.” Gray caressed the side of her body from her breasts to her hips. “I will make it better for you once you get used to it.”

Juvia’s face became so red Gray couldn’t help but to chuckle. “Ab-about that… what exactly happened… before you… in… me?”

Gray, who hadn’t felt that serene in a very long time, just laughed and kissed her, trying to make her forget about her question and more focused on their bodies together. He knew they would have all types of problems; people would try to kill her, they would try to take him down as the Duke, but at that moment, nothing else other than Juvia’s arms around him mattered.

Maybe that was what happiness was all about.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEAAAAAAH!!!!! *yells incoherently for hours*


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some sexy times for you and then we get deeper into Juvia being the Duchess. ;)

 

The next day when Gray asked for his cousin to visit so they could settle their fight, the moment the white haired man stepped inside the hall and saw the couple standing next to the other, he noticed a different air around them and he sighed in defeat.

" _Great_. I tell you to do one thing and you go ahead and consummate the marriage, making it almost impossible to annul it."

"How does he _know_?" Juvia whispered to Gray, her face turning red and Gray ignored her words, choosing instead to talk to his cousin.

"I am the Duke, Lyon. My wife is the Duchess and we are not going anywhere." Gray raised his chin. "I don't care if there is someone out there who would rather see me married to a Winter girl: I already have a wife and my people need to understand she's staying for a long time."

"Juvia is not afraid, Lyon-sama." The blunette smiled to her cousin-in-law when Gray put an arm around her waist. "This… this is Juvia's home. Perhaps one day the people will learn how to accept Juvia as their Duchess."

Lyon passed a hand through his hair and walked in circles for a few moments. "Alright. If you two want to be stubborn, it's fine. Just… be careful. I ran away from being Duke for years, I'd like to never have the opportunity of being one again, aye? Gray does a good job but that's not for me." Lyon smiled, tiredly, towards the couple. "If you two could stay alive for a couple of decades and have about ten children so there's no need to even bring my name up ever again, I'd appreciate it."

Gray snorted and Juvia smiled. "We intend to stay alive for a while, Lyon-sama."

"That's a relief." Lyon smiled to her and then looked to his cousin. "If you ever need anything, I will be at Snow Storm Castle, living my life like I've always wanted."

Juvia elbowed her husband on the stomach and he said: "If you'd like to stay here at Avalanche Castle for a few days, you'd be welcomed." He scowled. "My _wife_ is a true believer that family must stay together."

Lyon grinned. "Lady Juvia is a smart woman: we need time to bury the past and move on." He stopped. "How about I do that in a couple of months? I just came into your house and tried to steal your wife and lands. Maybe a little time apart would be wise?"

As much as he tried to contain it, Gray laughed and Juvia never heard a more beautiful sound. "Yes, Lyon, time apart might be wise."

"Especially when you and your wife need time to enjoy married life." The white haired man winked at his cousin and Juvia's face warmed up. "I will be going tomorrow. I will let you know when I intend to come back."

"Or when we send you an invitation." Juvia offered and even with Gray rolling his eyes, Lyon nodded at how generous she was. "Stay for lunch today, at least."

"Thank you, Lady Juvia." He smiled and walked to where they were. He took her hand and kissed it. "Just remember that if you ever need to run away from my cousin, my Castle is open for you to go-"

Gray removed his cousin's hand from his wife's and put himself between them. "Alright, don't make me regret it my decision to overlook my want to kill you because Juvia asked me to."

The men continued their bickering while Juvia watched, her arm twined to her husband's and she felt happy, knowing that even though their relationship was far from being fully mended, it was a step towards the right path for it.

**#**

If she were true to herself, Juvia absolutely loved the new intimacy she discovered with Gray and how good it felt when he kissed her, took away her nightgown and touched all the ways she never knew she'd wanted to be touched.

When it was time for Gray to consummate their bedding, Juvia didn't mind at all (even though her aya had told her it would be close to unbearable) and actually enjoyed to be close to her husband, especially when he'd bring her to rest her head on his chest and caress her back in such tender way, she just didn't think it could get any better.

As it turned out, it _could_.

A little over a month after their first night at his office, Juvia decided to visit her husband, knowing that by the time she arrived there, his meeting would most likely be over and she could ask him to set a date for them to go out with their horses once again: surely she wouldn't fall down in a river again.

Just as the Duchess predicted, when she was arriving at his office, her husband's advisors were exiting the premises and all of them smiled and bowed at her, while Juvia just nodded their way. At the office's door, Juvia smiled at Loke before she got inside.

Gray was looking at some papers that were on his desk and he seemed worried, but when he heard the heavy door close behind her, he looked up and grinned when he saw her.

"What are you doing here?" He watched as she walked his way. "I thought you went out with Lucy to pick out some clothes for her child at the village."

"We did." Juvia smiled at her husband. Even though he didn't want to have Juvia out Avalanche Castle because of the threats against her life, she managed to convince him when both Natsu and Gajeel informed they were going to escort the women and they, plus Loke, were the ones Gray trusted the most regarding her life. Plus, she couldn't stay a prisoner inside her own house and even if he didn't like it, she was right about that. "Juvia thinks that we won't be needing to go pick more for a while."

Gray chuckled. "She has what? Two more months to go? That kid already has more clothes than I do." He put his hands on her hips once she was close enough.

"That might as well be true." Juvia tip toed and gave her husband a peck on the lips. "Natsu-san is so excited."

"To be fair, Natsu gets excited about everything." Gray smirked when Juvia giggled. "So you decided to come and visit me after your outing?"

"Yes." The blunette wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Juvia wondered if she could interest you in going out on a ride with our horses soon. Juvia misses that." She felt his body tense under her hands; he was probably remembering about the incident a couple of months before. "Don't worry. Juvia will be more careful this time."

Gray pulled her a bit closer. "I feel that when you go out of the Castle you put yourself at harm's way. You almost drowned and froze to death, then that man with the crossbow."

With a smile, Juvia put a hand at the back of Gray's head and caressed his hair there, just as she knew he liked it. "You know that if Juvia doesn't go out, people won't know her and they might as well hate her. After all, who likes a faceless Duchess? It's a chance we have to take. But what Juvia really wants is to spend some time with her husband during the day. You've been so busy that we barely have lunch together." She pouted.

"I give you enough attention." His worries were momentarily forgotten as he pushed his wife back until she hit the desk and he pulled her from the floor with a squeal of surprise from her, to put her seated on the corner of the desk. He leaned and whispered into her ear: "Just last night you didn't seem to think I wasn't giving you attention." He kissed the spot just under her ear, the spot he knew made her melt for him.

Juvia gasped, suspecting where he was going with that kiss and pushed him away just enough she could see him and the Duchess just knew with her face red in embarrassment. "Gray-sama!" She whispered-shouted. "It's… It's the middle of the _afternoon_!"

"Yes, it is." He agreed with a shrug and before she could answer, he kissed her on the lips and suddenly, Juvia was no longer capable of forming thoughts. Gray's kisses always made her dizzy; before, he kissed her as if afraid she would pull away, but ever since they took the next step and consummated their marriage, he kissed her as if he couldn't have enough of her and it made the Duchess' mind turn into mud.

Gray pushed her heavy dark blue coat away from her shoulders and Juvia helped him, still panting from his kisses. The coat was pushed down to the desk when Gray kissed his wife once again, this time Juvia tried her best to unbutton his own coat and she groaned in frustration when a particular button seemed to be stubborn. Gray stopped kissing her just for a second to finish the button and shrug off his coat, letting it fall on the ground.

"We should only do this at night." Juvia said, while her husband pulled her legs apart so he could settle between them more comfortably. The Duchess realized then, why he had put her over his desk: the height was just right so she could feel the growing bulge on his pants right where she could feel herself start to throb in want for him.

"Who told you that?" Gray pecked on her lips, his hands behind her back trying to undo the bow that fastened her dress.

"My aya." While her husband dealt with her dress, she busied herself with kissing his jaw and neck. "She said it should happen at night, lights off…"

"You really shouldn't listen to that old bat. The good thing about being married is that we get to do this whenever we want." Gray finished with the bow and her dress loosened. He groaned when he noticed the buttons in front of her simple blue dress, but began to undo them. "And it's going to be very unusual for me to get a break during an afternoon, so I intend to take my time today." Gray kissed her, deep, informing her that he really meant it and she melt for him once more. Well, if her husband said it was alright to do that during the day, he was probably right. Both froze in place when they heart a knock on the door, Gray groaned as he stopped kissing his wife and Juvia could see him battling with himself if it would be wise or not to go and open the door. Another couple of knocks, louder that time, made him scowl in frustration and even if Juvia found his expression amusing, she also felt very frustrated with whomever was interrupting them. Gray stared at her, his face serious, and said: " _Don't. You. Move._ "

Juvia nodded so hard her curls bounced. Gray groaned as stepped away from his wife and didn't even bothered to put his coat back – it would come off in a few minutes anyway – his shirt was nice enough. He put his 'Duke façade' on, walked towards the door, and got out, meeting an old man who had some papers in hand.

"Oh, Duke Fullbuster." The man bowed slightly. "I could've come in; you didn't need to come out. We just need to discuss a few topics…"

Clearly in no mood, Gray interrupted the older man, with an icy voice. "Kashina. Is this urgent?"

Kashina looked taken aback for a second. "Well, no…"

"Is anyone going to die if I don't see the papers right now?" The Duke asked.

"No, but…" The older man tried, but Gray waved him off.

"So, it can be done tomorrow."

"Yes, but…"

Gray narrowed his eyes. "So, it _will_ be done tomorrow. The meeting was finished twenty minutes ago and just _now_ you appear with matters for me to overlook? Your job is to help me care for this Duchy and you missing a meeting is not helpful at all. And just as you said, it is not urgent and it will be dealt with tomorrow, perhaps you can arrive on time then." Gray was about to return inside his office, but thought about his wife's request earlier about them going out with their horses. She was so happy when they had done it the first time, it wouldn't hurt to do it again. "Forget that. Cancel the meeting tomorrow. I'm taking the day off to spend it with my wife."

Kashina looked appalled. "You can't take a day off…"

"Yes I can. I am the Duke and I haven't had a single day off since I took over this Duchy, so tomorrow, I'm gonna disappear to all of you. Is that clear enough for you?"

"Sir, I…" The old man tried once again, but Gray was having none of it: his wife was almost naked in the room behind him and he'd rather return to her other than deal with Kashina.

"Loke!" Gray said without taking his eyes from Kashina, who shrank at the Duke's mean eyes.

His guard, who looked extremely amused, said by his usual place by the door. "Yes?"

"Guard this door. If someone even _tries_ to bother me with anything that is not life-death related for the rest of the day and tomorrow, kill him. Got it?"

"Yes, sir." Loke grinned and put himself between the Duke and Kashina, his hand on the handle of his sword and a meaningful look to the old man, who took a step back.

"Good." Gray turned around and returned to the office, closing the door behind him, and locking it for good measure. When he lifted his eyes back to his desk, where he left his wife, his breath got caught in his throat and all his blood ran down to his groin.

Juvia was sitting on his desk, her blue hair falling over her shoulders and she looked like an angel with her legs perfectly closed, her hands on her knees just like a proper lady. Or it would be like a proper lady if she had been wearing anything other than her long white socks and her shoes.

"You moved." He managed to say, still glued in place, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Sorry." Juvia shrugged and her smile told him she was not sorry at all.

"Don't be. It'll cut my work in half."

**#**

Gray was kissing her breasts while his fingers worked inside her – she knew what was coming, as they had done that a few times and the result had been great. He kissed her and she made a sound of frustration when he removed his fingers away, robbing her the pleasure she knew he could bring her. Instead, she felt the now familiar nudge of his manhood and when he slid inside her, Juvia's nails dug into Gray's back as she moaned.

"Are you alright?" Gray asked, stilling inside her like he always did – he was still afraid of hurting her, the sweet man.

"Yes." Juvia nodded, pulling him to kiss her. The moment he started moving inside her, the blunette tried to contain a squeak because whole body seemed to lit up – it was different than before, especially since she had never been seated while they made love. It was even better than when he used his fingers to please her.

"Gods, Juvia." Gray said once he stopped kissing her lips and busied himself with kissing her jaw and down to her neck without stopping moving inside her. "I want to be inside you all day long."

"No complain from me." Juvia panted, one of her hands moving so her fingers dug into his thick black hair, urging him down towards her cleavage and Gray took the hint quickly and the moment he took a nipple in his mouth and sucked, Juvia arched her back and gasped. "Gray-sama!"

Juvia lost track of the time the moment Gray slid a hand between their bodies and touched her at the bundle of nerves and she couldn't keep the loud moan that escaped her mouth even if she tried. She felt Gray's hand tangle itself in her hair, pulling it back a bit and her body was bent to his discretion, her legs crossed at his back.

Sometime later, Juvia felt her lower abdomen boil, it was familiar as Gray had brought her to pleasure before, but that time was much more intense and she didn't know what to do with that.

"Gray-sama… I…" Juvia panted. "Oh, I…"

"Come on, Juvia." Gray groaned, his thrusts and touch against the bundle of nerves became harder and it made Juvia moan in response of how good it felt. "Let go. Come on." With a final thrust, Juvia felt the ball of intensity in her and suddenly, it exploded; her vision turned white, her veins seemed to be carrying fire and every part of her body felt pleasure like never before.

Between her amazing cloud of happiness, she heard Gray groan and felt him release himself inside her and they stayed hung at each other, both panting for air. It took Gray a couple of minutes to exit her and when he did, Juvia whimpered at the loss. Gray chuckled and kissed her lips and she returned it lazily, still a bit dazed about what happened.

"Juvia?" Gray asked.

"Hm?" Juvia rested her forehead on his shoulder.

"You got yourself a ride with our horses tomorrow, by the way." Gray reached for her coat behind Juvia and put them around her shoulders – the thin layer of sweat that covered her body would soon make her cold.

Juvia giggled and wrapped her arms around his waist, looking up at him. "All Juvia had to do was to take off her clothes and sit on your desk? She will take note about that for whenever she needs something."

"I can guarantee you will have my full attention to whatever you request of me." Gray smiled back at her. "At least now, whenever I am at a boring meeting, I can think of what we did today on it." He laughed when her cheeks became red and she hid her face on her chest.

**#**

It was almost two months after that afternoon when a loud knock on the door in the middle of the night awoke the couple and Juvia tried to ignore it the best she could, choosing instead to snuggle closer to her husband and trying to get better advantage of his warmth. The second knock made Gray groan.

"Damn it." He whispered and Juvia finally opened her eyes when he tried to untangle their bodies without waking her up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't." Juvia watched as he pushed the blankets away to get up and he pulled it back over her body, knowing that she still wasn't used to the cold temperatures at night, especially when she was naked underneath. "What is happening?"

"No idea." He grabbed his pants from the floor, where he had thrown away when they had gone to bed. Juvia took a moment to look at his naked form and she smiled at how handsome her husband was and how much they enjoyed each other a few times that night. Another knock came and he said, while putting his pants back: "Just a minute."

Juvia saw him put his shirt back on and stayed in bed while her husband went to answer the door. When she tried to listen what was being said, but couldn't, the Duchess gave up and waited for Gray to come back to tell her what happened.

A couple of minutes after he left their bedroom, Gray returned, a grim expression on his face. "An avalanche hit a village." Juvia sat on the bed and gasped. "We don't know how many are hurt or dead, but I am taking most of my guard there to look for survivors."

"Oh, gods." Juvia got up, a sheet wrapped around her body. "What are the odds…?"

"I don't know." He sighed. "The faster we get there the faster we can find survivors." Gray opened their wardrobe and put on a sweater and then a thick coat over it. "I will be over there for a couple of days, trying to find everyone; dead or alive."

"Can I do something?" Juvia asked, trying to blink the tears away. How many people were trapped under snow as they spoke?

Gray stepped closer to her and kissed her. "Just… don't get yourself in trouble while I'm away, please?" He tried to smile. "It would help me a lot."

"Alright." Juvia put a hand on his cheek and caressed it. Gray kissed the palm and went to look for his boots and Juvia watched him put them on. Once he seemed to be ready, Juvia hugged him and wished him good luck.

"Try to go back to sleep." He told her before he left their bedroom and Juvia was left just with a sheet around her body, thinking that she couldn't possible return to sleep.

**#**

Once dawn broke, Juvia got herself ready for the day and went downstairs, she hadn't been able to sleep from the moment she heard the news and by the look of the Castle's staff, neither could they. It was such a grim cloud that was over the household, that Juvia declined breakfast that morning – the thought of food was making her stomach turn.

Juvia sat at the library, close to the fire, feeling completely hopeless, but what could she do? She had no idea how to deal with a disaster such as an avalanche. It was her first experience with the subject, yet, she wanted to help.

A young girl with dark hair came in the library holding some pieces of wood to put on the fire and when she kneeled in front of the fireplace, Juvia noticed she was crying. Juvia fished through her memory looking for the girl's name and remembered what she was called.

"Mallory?" The Duchess called softly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Lady Juvia." The girl tried to dry her tears. "Don't worry about me."

Juvia just couldn't ignore the poor girl, she was only a couple of years younger than the Duchess herself. "Do you have anyone at the village?"

Mallory nodded and more tears fell down. "Yes. My intended." She sobbed and Juvia kneeled on the floor next to her. "He lives there with his parents, but after we get married, he's coming to live here. He's going to try to have a job at the Castle's stables and now I don't even know if he is alive." Juvia put her arms around Mallory, who hugged her back.

"I am sure he is fine, sweetheart." The blunette tried and the girl nodded.

"I hope so, Milady." A moment after she spoke, Mallory gasped and tried to get away from the Duchess. "By the gods, Milady, I am so sorry! Get up from the floor, please. I shouldn't have…"

"It's fine." Juvia tried to ease the girl. "You needed a hug and I was glad to give it to you. Now, come up." Juvia got up and offered Mallory a hand, which she accepted shyly, not sure she should be having that moment with the Duchess of their land. "I have been feeling so very helpless ever since we got the news." Juvia sighed. "I get worried if they are getting the warmth they need after such disaster, but-" Juvia stopped mid-sentence while her mind worked and a plan formed in her mind.

"Milady?" Mallory asked when the Duchess had been quiet for too long. Juvia offered the girl a reassuring smile and told her to come along.

Five minutes later, they were at the Castle's kitchen, where most of the staff still was having breakfast as it was too early for both the Duke and Duchess to be up in a normal morning. To say that it was a surprise to see Juvia in there was an understatement, some of the servants almost chocked on their food, but everyone got up as soon as she was there.

"I am so very sorry to interrupt your breakfast, but as you all know, a village near here was hit by an avalanche tonight. And I think many of you have family or people you know around that area." Juvia saw many sad faces and it was exactly what gave her the strength to push forward with her plan. "My husband left in search for survivors in the middle of the night and I have faith that by now he has encountered many, but what worries me is that they left in a haste to find survivors and had the equipment for it." She raised her chin. "What I think they didn't remember about, was what to do to the survivors once they are rescued.

"I fell into a frozen river once and I know that it's a horrible feeling. I want to help our people and for that, I will need the help of every one of you." She saw the staff's eyes turn from sad to eager to help. She looked to the housemaids. "I need you to take every blanket we have to spare; leave one in each room, but take all the rest. Plus, all the coats. Mine too, just leave the thick dark blue one." The maids looked surprised, but nodded before leaving to accomplish their tasks. Juvia turned to the kitchen staff. "I need you to sort out what we will need for about two days here at the Castle for food. Everything else, we are going to take to the village. If we could spare big pans so we can make soup, that would be the best." The cooks went to work. Juvia looked at Mallory and a couple of boys and three girls who were left. "You, go on and take as much dry wood we have in storage: we will need to make fires." Mallory smiled and urged the others to go. "We are going to need at least three carriages, the larger, the better." She looked to where the men who took care of the stables were and they nodded. They were about to leave the kitchen when Juvia spoke once again. "Oh, Mr. Guynes? Prepare Honey as well, I'll be going too."

**#**

After arguing with Lucy that even though she really wanted to go and help, she couldn't because she was about to give birth at any minute and it would be unwise to leave the castle, Juvia had to promise her friend to be careful and to watch out for her husband – Natsu had left with Gray hours before and just like Juvia, Lucy hadn't been able to sleep again.

Gajeel, who was left behind with the sole purpose of watching after Juvia entered in a big fight with her when they were about to leave, after all, his job was to keep her safe and not to let her get on her horse and ride to the site of an avalanche.

"You were charged to keep Juvia safe, not to make her a prisoner." She said, buttoning her thick dark blue coat and pulling the hood over her head and at the Great Hall of the Castle, many of her staff finishing doing what the Duchess had requested and everyone fell silent once they heard the usually quiet monarch almost yell at her guard. "My people are freezing and hurt out there, you can either do your job and protect me outside or you can stay here by yourself, because Juvia can tell you one things: she is going." She narrowed her blue eyes at him. "Just _try_ to stop me."

The dark haired man actually looked surprised for a moment before he smirked. "Well, well, well…. Look who just found her claws."

"Shut up." Juvia's cheeks pinked and she put her gloves on. "Are you coming or staying?"

"And miss seeing the fit your husband is going to have once he sees you there? Not a chance in hell I'm staying here." Gajeel laughed and put on his thicker coat. Of course he was going because he was her guard and she knew it. Juvia thought about what he said about her claws and she wondered why she yelled at her friend; she certainly didn't need to, he would go with her either way.

Maybe she did find the claws she never knew she had. And oh, she loved the feeling.

**#**

It was an hour and a half on the road before Juvia and her party arrived at the village and Juvia's heart broke at the sight: some houses were spared, some were under a heavy layer of snow but most houses were destroyed and god knows how many people were still alive under that destruction.

"Who are you?" A woman that seemed to be leading at the moment, stepped in front of Juvia's horse – she seemed to be around forty, long dark hair in a thick braid, a bandage on her forehead and she seemed to be wearing a little more than her nightgown. Yet, her dark eyes were strong. There were some younger women around her, all at the same state as the leader.

Juvia got down from her horse and so did the four guards she brought with her. "I am Juvia, Duchess of Winter." Juvia tilted her head at them.

The group of women gasped and bowed at Juvia, who felt incredibly uncomfortable. "Milady, I'm sorry for being rude."

"It's of no consequence." Juvia assured them. "What can I call you?"

"I am Rose, Milady." The leader spoke and then pointed to the women behind her. "And these are Gerta, Tamara and Sara."

"Nice meeting you, even though is under such circumstances." Juvia nodded at them. "My husband came here last night."

"And he has been very helpful, Milady." Rose told Juvia. "With his help, we were able to rescue twenty people so far."

Juvia sighed. "That's a relief. Either way, this morning it occurred to me that you would need blankets, coats and food." Juvia pointed to the three carriages. "We had to act fast and brought what we could at such short notice. There are not much clothes for children, but if the mothers put them on and put the child in with them, it's going to be fine. Or two children. There are blankets as well. We also brought some dry wood for fire…" Juvia watched the women look at each other in surprise.

"You… what?" Rose seemed surprised.

"It's not much and we had to hurry, but if you need more, I'm sure we could come up with some. But I guarantee that there are food for a couple of days if we make soup." Juvia saw the women's eyes water and she panicked. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you…"

"Milady, we are not upset. Not at all." Rose was clearly crying but trying to hide. "We lost all of our food and clothes tonight and ever since it happened, we were wondering what we would do to feed our children, what we would make them wear when it gets colder tonight." Rose smiled to Juvia. "We are crying of joy, Milady, because we can feed our children and keep them warm." The woman stepped closer to Juvia and hugged her. "Thank you."

Juvia's eyes watered as she hugged the woman back. "Well then." She tried to hide her own tears – she had been very emotional that morning. "You should pick up some of those coats and then pass them on." Gerta went inside of the houses that was still in one piece and a moment later, about twenty people came out, all poorly dressed for the weather and all of their expressions turned happier when they saw the coats and food.

"Milady?" Juvia looked at Rose. "Now that you are here, are you taking over the arrangements?"

"Oh, no." The blunette shook her head. "I know nothing of what to do in situations like this one, I was born elsewhere. You do know what to do, Rose. I am here to help in whichever you need me to, but the control is all yours. I am the Duchess, but this is _your_ village, if you want me to go to the kitchen and help with the potatoes, that's where I'll be."

Rose looked at her with even more respect than before she nodded in agreement. "If you could help with the distribution of the coats, I'd appreciate it, Milady."

"Of course." Juvia grabbed Rose's hand. "You will get through this."

"We always do." Rose squeezed Juvia's hand back and raised her head up high, just as a true Winter woman.

**#**

Three hours in the village and Juvia had yet to see her husband or anyone from the Castle, but there was so much to do that she didn't even realized until she was helping to serve soup for the villagers. She was told to eat, but her stomach still hadn't settled, especially when she saw three men get carried inside a house that was being used as a makeshift hospital. They were bloodied and if she had eaten anything that day, she would've thrown up.

Gajeel had left with a few men in a search party by Juvia's request: they had found someone and needed strong men to lift whatever was trapping the person and after Juvia tell him a thousand of times that none at that village would try to harm her in any way while they had their own tragedy going on, he left with the other guards Juvia brought with her.

At the middle of the day, Juvia had a few free minutes and decided to take a walk a bit away from the houses to see if she could have a glimpse of her husband, but didn't want to get too far away and the path was difficult with all the snow and pieces of wood.

There were so many dead and missing yet and she was told the night was going to get even colder. She sighed and decided she needed to go back, her whole body ached, but she needed to keep helping her people

She took two steps back when a sound made her stop on her tracks. She turned around and tried to make herself hear better and then she hear it once more: a cry of a baby.

Juvia yelled for help two times before she tried to pin point exactly where the sound came from. "Come on, baby, cry for Juvia so she can find you." She whispered to herself while walking slowly between the destruction. "Come on, sweetheart." Juvia closed her eyes so if the child cried, she could know better which way and when she heard it, she ran to her left.

"Help! There's someone here!" She yelled over her shoulder, and, without waiting for an answer, she followed the sound and started to pull away the pieces of wood in her way. She yelled for help again and finally heard people moving her way, but she already had a way in and by the way the cry became louder, she was getting closer.

She moved one last piece of wood and saw a woman, unconscious, and a baby that didn't seem to be moving. Was she too late? Hadn't he been crying a few seconds ago? What if she only had a few minutes to save that baby? She looked over her shoulder and saw that help was still too far away and she would never forgive herself if she let a child die because she was a coward.

It took her a second to decide to get in between the wreckage and try to reach for the child without falling in. She tried for almost a minute before she was finally able to touch the baby's coat and pull it up as gently as she could so not to hurt the baby. Gently, she managed to get the child by its arm and then put both her hands under the baby's armpits and even then she could feel how cold he was.

'Please, let me not be too late.' Juvia thought and felt people grab her by the legs and pull her back up.

"Milady! What were you thinking?" One of the men, Juvia couldn't remember his name, was speaking to her, but Juvia's focus was on the child in her arms, eyes closed, skin way paler than it should and no movements at all.

"I heard him crying."

There was a silence from the people around her. "Milady, I… I think he is dead." A woman said, sadly and putting a hand on Juvia's shoulder and the Duchess' eyes watered. It couldn't be. She heard a cry, she knew she heard it.

Juvia put a hand over the baby's tiny chest as a few tears fell from her eyes and she was about to sob when she felt it underneath her palm… a heartbeat. It was slow, but it was there.

"He's alive!" Juvia said and looked at the people around her before she put a finger under the baby's nose and felt the slightest gush of air. "He is alive! But he is so cold…" An idea struck her mind and she got up from the ground and gave the child to the woman of the group, who checked the same way Juvia did and also felt the baby's breath. Meanwhile, Juvia had opened her coat and started to undo the front buttons of her dress – the men of the group gasped when they noticed what she was doing and turned around – it wasn't as if she was naked under there, she had a thin underdress.

"Milady!" The woman – was her name Willa?, Juvia couldn't remember – gasped in horror, but Juvia didn't care, she just took the baby back and gently put him on her chest, the underdress and the child's clothing the only thing between them and then she closed the coat above the child.

"Body heat! My husband taught me that. He might live!" Juvia told them. "His mother is under there, maybe she can live as well! Juvia is going to take him to see a doctor."

She left them confused and appalled at her attitude, but she couldn't care. She needed to take that baby to safety.

"Juvia? _Juvia!_ What the hell…?" Her mind to go to the doctor was so set that she didn't even notice that her husband was going to where she had called for help – he was dirty, looked deadly tired and she would love to stop to talk to him, but she had more pressing matters.

"I can't stay. There's a baby in my coat! Go where Willa is, his mother is trapped in there and she could be alive still!" Juvia didn't stop walking. "Go! Juvia will be at the doctor."

Gray nodded, frowning, but asked: "Who the hell is Willa?"

**#**

Two hours later, Juvia was sitting on the floor of the makeshift hospital, still holding the baby. The village doctor said he couldn't do anything for the child Juvia wasn't already doing and it was all up to see if the baby would wake up. They had taken off the boy's clothes, changed his diaper and then he returned to Juvia's chest.

His color was much better and he started to move, as if dreaming and all Juvia could do was to hold him and talk to him. She must've fallen asleep for a second, because the moment she opened her eyes and looked at the child, she was rewarded with a pair of crystal blue eyes looking back at her.

Juvia smiled, her eyes filling with tears knowing that he was probably going to be alright. "Hello, darling." She whispered. "You gave me quite a scare." The boy yawned and Juvia laughed. "I bet you are tired, you had quite an adventure today."

"Is he awake?" Rose asked, kneeling in front of the Duchess and the boy peeked through the top of Juvia' coat. "Oh, there he is. You are a very lucky boy." Rose was delighted. "His name is Oscar, by the way. They got his mother out, her name is Jessica. Just like him, she has hypothermia, but the doctor was hopeful that she will wake up, just like this little one did."

"Good." Juvia sighed in relief and Rose helped her up from the floor. "What about his father?"

"He had been searching for them at their house at the opposite side of the village. Where you found them, was Jessica's parents' house. They didn't make it. He is with Jessica now, but will soon be here to pick up his son."

"No rush." The blunette smiled. "I rather enjoy having a baby in my arms, never got the chance before."

"Practicing for your own?" Rose looked pointedly at Juvia, who smiled.

"Maybe in a couple of years."

The dark haired woman frowned. "Really? It's unusual for me to be mistaken, then. My family comes from a long line of healers and I've never been wrong about things like this."

It was Juvia's time to frown. "You thought Juvia was pregnant? Why?"

"As I said, long line of healers." Rose shrugged. "If I might ask, when was the last time you had your bleeding days, milady?"

Juvia took her time thinking. She sure had them a couple of weeks after Lyon visited, but after that, she couldn't remember when. With wide eyes, she looked at Rose. "The last time… maybe two months ago?"

Rose smiled. "Have you been feeling too hungry in the mornings, sick or with no appetite at all?" Juvia nodded, thinking back all the mornings she didn't eat because her stomach felt a little queasy. "Breasts tender?" Juvia blushed at the memory of her and Gray being intimate a few days before when she almost reached her pleasure with him playing with his breasts. "By your blush, I will say yes."

"I can't be." Juvia's heart was beating faster. Could she really be expecting a child?

"Come with me." Rose took Juvia's hand and lead her to another room of the house and Juvia tried not to look at the people who were losing blood, it made her stomach upset. "At a room where an old woman, well in her eighties was finishing treating a man with a broken leg. "Grandmother? Can I have a moment?"

The old woman had the same thick hair in a braid as Rose, but her hair was all white and even though she was very wrinkled, Juvia could see she had strong hands and the moment she met the woman's eyes, she saw the same strength Juvia saw in Rose.

"Of course, my dear."

"Grandmother, this is the Duchess, Lady Juvia." Rose introduced Juvia, who bowed her head lightly. The old woman looked at Juvia and when the blunette bowed, she saw the baby sleeping inside her coat.

"Oh, you are the one who found Oscar." Juvia was surprised to hear the woman say that with just a glimpse of the child. "I remember every baby I delivered, child." She chuckled.

"Lady Juvia, my Grandmother Nina." Rose introduced.

"Nice to meet you." Juvia smiled, but looked at Rose in question.

"Grandmother, I told Lady Juvia I think she is with child and she seems to think there's no way." Rose was amused and the older woman smiled, just like her granddaughter.

"Come closer, child." Nina asked and Juvia took a step in her direction. With firm hands, Nina cupped Juvia's face and looked deeply in her eyes. "I heard you were the only one who thought Oscar was alive."

Not the question she was expecting, but Juvia answered. "I… I heard a cry of a baby. It came at the direction of where he was." She looked down to the sleeping child and then back to the older woman. "I don't know why no one else could hear it."

Nina narrowed her eyes. "You are the same woman who fell on the river a few months ago, weren't you?" Juvia nodded and Nina brought Juvia's face even closer to hers, looking for something in her eyes. "You were tested, my child." Nina released Juvia and grinned.

"Tested?" Juvia was confused.

"My family comes from a long line of healers, but our family also comes from magic. And this land is full of magic. There are people who belong here because they were born here and that's all fine, but there are ones who are not born here and the land feels the need to test them. To see it if they are strong enough to be here, to be ours." Nina put a hand over Juvia's shoulder. "You had your tests, and you passed. I can see it that you are a Winter woman."

"I never thought otherwise from the moment I met her." Rose smiled to Juvia.

"That's not possible." Juvia whispered.

"Well, when you can explain why only you could hear a child crying while said child was clearly not awake, I'd love to hear." Nina chuckled. "Oh, and by the way, your child will also be as strong as you and your husband. It will make you proud."

Juvia's eyes widened. "My…" Still holding Oscar with one arm, Juvia put a hand over her stomach and tried to think at every reason why she couldn't be pregnant and came up empty. She had her lest bleeding months before and she has always been on time. And both her and her husband had been more than enthusiastic about intimacy ever since that first night. "By the gods… I am." Juvia smiled and then she stopped. "Am I allowed to be happy? It's been a day so full of sadness..."

"Sadness, yes, but also miracles." Nina put a hand over Oscar's head. "We need something happy today, child. And nothing could make us happier than to know that even with all the probations we had today and will keep having for a long time, there are still hope and happiness. You are allowed to be happy, just like we are for you."

"Thank you so much." She could feel tears in her eyes and she realized why she had been crying so much – oh, she would freak out her husband so much with the tears.

"No, thank you, Lady Juvia, to have come to our aid when we needed." Nina grabbed one of Juvia's hands. "If you ever need anything, we are here for you."

**#**

"There you are." Gray finally found her – it was dark and cold outside, but he had found a spot for them to rest for the night at one of the houses alongside with the guards they brought and the cooks who volunteered to come. Gray earned a smile from her as he put an arm around her waist and watched as his wife carefully took a baby from inside her coat and gave him to a man.

"The doctor said to keep him as warm as you can for a while." Juvia told the man.

"Trust me, Milady, I don't think my Jessica is letting go of him until he is ten after the scare of today." The man smiled as he looked at the boy even as his eyes watered. "My wife asked if you could go see her before you leave for the Castle, Milady. To thank you." Juvia nodded. "Thank you for finding them, Milady. I thought I had lost them both. Bless you, Milady." The man looked at Gray. "And you, Milord."

"Blesses to you and yours too." Gray said, he was so tired that he was even considering pushing away his fight with Juvia about her leaving the Castle for the next day – but it was going to be hard to be mad at her when she had been amazing and brought what the people needed plus saved a baby and his mother.

They watched the man leave and a woman with dark hair stepped in front of them – Gray recognized her as Rose, she had introduced herself when he arrived.

"Are you sure there's nothing we could do?" Juvia asked.

"Milady, I can see you are about to drop from how tired you are. There's nothing else to be done, trust me. You need to rest." Rose looked at Gray. "Milord, make sure she eats before sleeping? I noticed she didn't eat at lunch and then with the Oscar situation happening, she also skipped dinner. I would hate to see someone who helped us so much"

"I will make sure of it, Rose, don't worry." Gray looked at his wife and she shrank like a little girl who got caught doing what she shouldn't. "Good night, see you in the morning."

"Good night." Rose said and Juvia echoed.

Gray pulled her from inside the house and they walked in silent for a few seconds. "How exactly can I be angry with you for leaving the Castle when you were so great today?" He asked and she giggled.

"You'll find a way once you rest. I bet you are awfully tired." She stopped walking and he did the same.

He groaned and dropped his head on her shoulder. "You have no idea. At least we found more people alive than dead. Not the best outcome, but better than the alternative."

Juvia hummed in agreement and when Gray tried to walk towards the house they would spend the night in, Juvia didn't let him. She was biting down her lip. "Juvia needs to tell you something she found out today."

Gray frowned and stepped closer to her, putting his arms around her waist. "What is it?"

"Well, aside from being chosen – Juvia will tell that story later, don't worry – today, even between all this devastation, we got good news. Before you get mad at Juvia for coming here, just know that she had no idea until two hours ago."

"Alright."

Juvia reached for one of his hands and slowly put it over her still flat stomach, her own hand over his. She waited for him to get the hint, but apparently he was so tired, his brain wasn't working anymore because he looked at her in confusion. "We will have to change the decoration of the nursery back at Avalanche Castle, too dark for this little one and I have solid information we are going to be very proud of it."

Gray blinked two times before he finally understood her words. "Are you saying that…?"

"We are having a little Duke or Duchess in a few months? Yes."

All tiredness left Gray's expression and happiness filled in, his hand still over her stomach he kissed her. "Are you sure?"

"Very sure, but we should see a doctor when we get home." Juvia smiled, feeling happy at how excited her husband clearly was.

"Of course!" Gray grinned. "I can't believe it! Natsu keeps rubbing on my face that he got a baby on the way, but now look at who's also have one on the way!" Juvia chuckled and Gray hugged her. "I am very happy, Juvia."

"Me too."

"You do know that now we have to have the outside wedding before you start to show too much, right?"

Juvia gasped. "I had forgotten about that!"

"Yeah. I know many women had it while pregnant, but I don't think they were showing too much." He shrugged.

"We'll get it done, somehow." Juvia smiled and kissed his lips. "Now, can we go and eat something? I really forgot to earlier today."

After that, Gray started to tell her how careless she was by going there and not sending the supplies alone, and telling her that when he told her to stay at the Castle, she should stay at the Castle, especially now that they knew she was expecting, but Juvia didn't feel as if she was getting scolded; she only heard her husband telling how much he cared for her and now their new addition to the family.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I wanted to show Juvia's transition from being the wife of the Duke to her becoming The Duchess. I hope I did it alright. LOL


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just doing tying some loose ends before starting the next arc of the story.

 

The Duke and Duchess returned to their castle two days after the avalanche hit the village and the first thing Gray did was to send for the doctor to go to the castle and make Juvia have a check-up just to be certain. When the news proved to be real, he thanked the doctor and as soon as they were alone, he hugged his wife.

“We must wait until after we have the outside wedding to tell people.” Juvia told him, smiling – as she had been ever since she knew it to be true. “The doctor said Juvia is about two months along, we have some time before it starts to show.”

“Let’s start planning, then.” He told her. “It’s going to be a great event for the Duchy.” Juvia nodded her agreement.

A week into the planning, Lucy gave birth to a boy and Juvia never saw Natsu look so proud before as much as when he had his arm around his wife’s shoulder while she held the small bundle. The baby had light blonde hair, just like Lucy’s and he appeared to have inherited her hazel eyes.

When Gray commented on the fact the baby’s appearance favored Lucy, Natsu shrugged and said, touching his son’s nose “If he looks like Lucy, at least he will be a handsome kid.” Lucy just rolled her eyes and kissed her husband on the cheek.

“I think he has more of you than we think.” She looked down to the baby in her arms. “I have the feeling he will be so much trouble as he grows up. Like you.” The four chuckled with the words until Lucy looked up to Juvia. “Do you want to hold him?” Juvia promptly agreed and as soon as she had the little boy, she looked up to her husband with a smile; a smile he shared, knowing that in a few months she would be holding their own baby. “Good practice for when you decide to have one.” Lucy said, smirking.

With a nod from Gray, Juvia looked at their friends and smiled. “About that…” She didn’t have to say another word for Lucy’s eyes to widen and shriek in happiness, making her husband wince in pain.

“Goddammit, Lucy. What the-?”

“Congratulations! How far along?” The blonde hugged the Duchess carefully not to squish her son between them.

“Two months, give or take.” Juvia answered and Lucy let go of her. “We are planning the outside wedding before Juvia starts showing.”

“Showing what?” Natsu asked, confused.

“For someone who just had a child of his own, you are slow.” Gray snorted. “Juvia is pregnant.”

The pink haired man’s eyes widened comically. “Really? That’s so great!” In an impulsive action, Natsu stepped closer to Gray and hugged the Duke, patting him on the back. “Our kids will be just a few months apart.”

Gray snorted. “They are going to destroy the castle.”

“Oh, yes.” Natsu laughed. “We’ll need an army to stop them.”

“Please, don’t wish our children to be mess makers.” Lucy whined.

“Juvia doesn’t think it’s going to be much different than what they are predicting.” The Duchess chuckled and looked to the baby in her arms. “Let’s hope at least one of you has some sense, hm?” She kissed the top of the baby’s head.

**#**

The day the Outside Wedding was held, the sky was unusually clear and Juvia could feel her stomach twist in excitement; of course she had been officially married for months but that was the day their people would be a part of it and no one could refute their marriage.

Juvia looked at the beautiful white dress on top of the bed and the silver thick coat next to it, the one she hoped it would at least hide her stomach. She smiled and put a hand over the bump there; she was almost four months pregnant, then, and almost everyone was well aware the Duke and Duchess were expecting an heir.

Gray had been very careful with her from the moment he knew she was pregnant and Juvia could only guess it would get worse as she gets larger and she would be lying if she said she didn’t like the attention.

There was a knock on the door and Juvia gave permission for the person to come in. It was Lucy with some of the maids, the blonde woman had her son in her arms and the boy was sleeping, vastly uninterested with what was happening.

“We came to help you get ready.” Lucy smiled.

“Thank you.” Juvia smiled and stepped closer to look at the baby. “Is he sleeping any better?”

Lucy sighed. “He’s sleeping longer, but it’s tiring either way.”

The blunette nodded. “Juvia is not looking forward to _that_.” Lucy laughed and put the baby on the Duchess’ arms when she held them out, she just loved the feeling of his tiny body pressed on her chest. He only yawned and nestled into Juvia’s arms further; the women laughed. “Ry-chan is changing day with night. That’s not nice, young man.” The blunette touched his little nose.

“Come on, Juvia.” Lucy put a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s get you ready.”

**#**

The streets were full as her carriage stopped in front of the largest cathedral in town and Juvia could feel the baby move, mostly likely feeling her nervousness and she put a hand over her stomach, trying to calm it down. She had no idea what reaction the people would have with her appearance in public.

Juvia took a deep breath when the carriage’s door was opened and she stepped out carefully, taking the hand of Gajeel, who was waiting to help her, as support and she was quite surprised to hear the people cheering.

Not booing, not in rage but _cheering_ at her appearance.

She must’ve been a sight, because Gajeel whispered to her: “Don’t look so surprised, you are the freakin’ Duchess, for the gods’ sake, woman.”

Looking at him with wide eyes, Juvia finally gathered herself, cleared her throat and arranged her silver coat better around her, hiding her stomach a bit more efficiently. Juvia, then started to walk the stairs of the cathedral, guards on both sides.

The moment she got inside the church, a beautiful music started to play and even though it was quite full, all Juvia saw was Gray standing at the end of the aisle, looking just as handsome as ever with his white shirt, dark blue coat and pants. The moment their eyes met, she couldn’t help it but to smile at him and he did the same.

Once she arrived at the end of the aisle and stopped next to Gray, he stepped closer to her. “Are you okay?” He whispered.

“Yes.” She nodded and both turned to the priest, the same one who had performed their private wedding almost a year before. Juvia felt the baby move and it took all of her to not put a hand over her stomach as she had been doing ever since she felt the child the first time.

“We are here today to officiate a marriage in front of the people. Today we are witness to the will of the gods, to the will of men long gone and the will of these two who stand in front of me.” The priest said. “Today, they will be forever united.” He stepped closer to the couple and took Gray’s hand, grabbing Juvia’s to place above her husband’s. A young girl came from their left side, holding the sacred white cloth with the religious symbols. The priest took the cloth and slowly wrapped around their hands.

Gray turned to face Juvia, unlike their private wedding and she did the same, looking him in the eye and she smiled when she saw him staring at her softly, exactly like he only did when they were alone and no one else could see his softer side. Her heart filled with happiness.

"Gray Fullbuster, 31st Duke of Winter;” the priest said “do you accept this woman to be your wife in holy matrimony, to be your companion in life and your helper during your ruling over this Duchy and the March of Rain until death do you apart?"

"I do." Gray didn’t hesitate and the blunette breathes out in relief, as if his answer would’ve been anything else. Noticing that, she could see one of the sides of his lips curl up in amusement.

The priest nodded and looked to the blue haired woman.

"Juvia Lockser, 29th Marquise of Rain; do you accept this man to be your husband in holy matrimony, to be your companion in life and your helper during your ruling over this Duchy and the March of Rain until death do you apart?"

With a bright smile, she nodded and said, firmly. "I do."

"Before the gods and this witnesses" The Priest said. "You vowed to be together and your bond will never be broken or fade away. You will be forever united in marriage. You are now husband and wife." He turned to the little girl and took the second cloth, a red one, and wrapped over the white that was already there. "You may kiss the bride."

The Duke lost no time in gently step closer to his wife, put a hand on the small of her back to pull her closer and kiss her on the lips. Juvia put a hand on his jaw and she barely noticed the claps and cheering inside the church.

Once the kiss was over, Gray touched her forehead with his and broke into a grin. It was easily one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen in her life. “We are married.” He whispered.

“Again.” She giggled and gave him a peck on the lips.

The priest cleared his throat, bringing them back from their own little world. Gray hesitated but stepped away long enough for the priest to unwrap the cloth from their hands.

Gray offered her his arm and Juvia quickly accepted, using it as support. She rearranged her coat and together, they started to walk down the aisle while the people congratulated them; the bells started to ring and the moment they stepped outside the church, they were greeted with the crowd cheering.

“I…” Juvia’s grip on her husband’s arm tightened. “I thought they hated me.” She whispered.

“Not since you helped that village with the avalanche.” Gray told her. “Besides, people love weddings and even more the news about a pregnancy.” Her eyes widened and he chuckled. “The dress and the coat hide it well, but I think that the whole country must’ve heard about it by now. Everyone knows, don’t worry. You are not the first or will be the last.” He kissed her lips, which surprised her. “The people want to see us a happy couple and today I am quite inclined to comply.”

Juvia’s surprise was suppressed by a warmth inside her chest, so she smiled at her husband. “Well, then. Let’s give them that.” She kissed him and then turned to look at the people. Juvia saw Gray raise a hand and wave, so she did the same.

**#**

A few days after the wedding, when Gray told Juvia they were going to a honeymoon, she was confused until he explained what it was. The moment the words came out of his mouth, she was already too excited and all but packed right away.

According to him, they would spend a week at a friend’s house at the Duchy of Summer, by the sea. Gray worked extra hard until the day they went aboard the ship so there wouldn’t be any problems while he was gone.

The trip was quite awful for Juvia – her pregnancy hadn’t make her feel sick, but the rocking of the ship sure did during the whole week that took for them to arrive at a small port of a town called Amaryllis. Once she saw the light blue sea, large green trees and colorful flowers, she forgot about being sick. Gray, though, didn’t let her explore the town of the house they were staying in until she had some proper rest and ate something, which she found out she really needed.

When morning came, though, Juvia woke him up and didn’t quit until he was grudgingly up, dressed and ready to go outside.

Juvia chose a simple light blue dress she didn’t mind getting dirty and pulled her husband outside the moment they finished breakfast and proceeded to ask him about every tree, flower and animal they found: the novelty of it all overwhelming her.

“Juvia always saw those on her books.” She told her husband, tears prickling her eyes while she tried to touch a yellow butterfly they had found a few minutes before. “I can’t believe I’m here, that this is my life.”

“Well, you better get used to it.” Gray said gently, watching the butterfly move until it was on his wife’s finger. “This is just the first place I’ll take you.”

“I heard the cook say something about a bird sanctuary near here. Can we go? I’ve always wanted to go see the colorful birds of Summer.” She looked up with such hope, her eyes sparkling in hope, that Gray couldn’t help it but to agree, to which she jumped into his arms and kiss him on the lips.

The third day they were there, though, she finally gathered enough courage to ask her husband to go into the water with her. Even though she was raised by the sea, the currents and waves had been so strong on the rocks she just played by the shore during the rare days she was allowed out.

The beach seemed so pretty at Amaryllis with its clear water and white sand right in front of the house, she just needed to at least go in one time.

Gray seemed to be highly amused with her hesitation to get in the water. She worn a thin dark blue dress while he had taken off his shirt and had just his pants on. He offered his hand and she took it, holding it tight but without moving, the water reaching her knees.

“I… I changed my mind.” Juvia muttered, a hand over her growing stomach, feeling very afraid of putting their unborn child at risk, she didn’t know how to swim after all. “Maybe we should come back to the house.” She tried to step back, but Gray didn’t let her.

“Juvia.” He said and she looked at him. “You have always wanted to swim in a place like this and this is your opportunity.” Gray squeezed her hand in comfort. “I am here with you and I won’t let anything happen, I promise.” She stared at his eyes for a moment, knowing he was telling the truth and wouldn’t let her get hurt.

With a nod, she let herself get gently pulled further until the water covered her bump. That was when she stopped and pulled Gray’s hand. “Here is fine. Please.”

The Duke stopped immediately and nodded. “Of course.” He wrapped his arms around her and she sighed in relief while putting her arms around his shoulder for support, she felt better if she had something to hold on to. “I won’t let go, Juvia.” Gray told her. “You don’t need to cling to me like that.” He chuckled.

“Sorry.” She muttered and gasped when Gray lowered them until the water reached their necks. Juvia was well aware she just needed to get up be safe again, but she felt fear nonetheless and clung even harder on her husband.

Noting her fear, Gray rubbed the small of her back over the fabric of her dress and the other found her round stomach. “You are fine.”

“I know.” She let out a breath, feeling herself get calmer with his touch. “Juvia just needs to get used to it.”

“Alright.” He kissed her, slowly moving around and Juvia perceived more of her surroundings when she was not afraid, like how warm and nice the water felt on her skin, the sun on her face, the sand between her toes. They kissed for a while until she fully relaxed in his arms. “Do you want to try and take a dive now?”

Juvia blinked a few times and bit her lower lip in apprehension. “You won’t let me go?”

Gray smiled. “Never.”

It took her a moment to nod. “Alright.”

“On three you hold your breath, alright?” Gray asked and the Duchess agreed, holding onto him tighter. “One, two, three.” Juvia took a long breath as he pulled them under the water for a few seconds before immediately bring them back up.

Juvia blinked a few times and let go of her husband just long enough to try to dry her face a bit and once she saw his face, he was grinning at her. “Your hair looks ridiculous.” She passed her hand through the locks. “What did you think?”

The Duchess thought for a second. “Not as scary as Juvia thought it was going to be.” She admitted. “Perhaps because you were holding me.” She smiled and gave him a peck on the lips.

“I don’t mind coming to swim with you whenever you want even after you learn how to swim.” He pulled her closer to his body and she giggled, clearly enjoying more and more their moment at the beach. They were kissing when she felt their baby move and then her husband gasp and pull her away just so he could see her face. “What-? What the-?” He looked down to the clear water and then to her.

“What is it?” Juvia also looked down, afraid he had seen something dangerous.

“I just felt something brush my stomach.” Gray was confused and so was Juvia for a second until the baby moved once again she figured out exactly what he had felt.

“I think I know.” Juvia grabbed one of his hands and put it over where their child was kicking; Gray hadn’t felt the baby yet and had been very envious when Juvia declared she did.

The moment his hand was on her stomach and there was a small movement under it, Gray’s eyes widened and he pressed it harder. “Is that-?” The Duke looked up to her and she nodded. “Oh. _Oh_.” He laughed. “Oh!”

Juvia watched his face while the baby moved and she never saw Gray smile so much in such a short amount of time. Once the child tired itself out and stopped, Gray cupped her face and gave her a very sweet kiss. “I felt it.”

“Yes you did.” Juvia passed her fingers through his hair.

“I can’t believe that in a few months…” He didn’t finish the sentence, he didn’t need to.

“Me neither.” She kissed him again. “Let’s get back inside.” Juvia said and he nodded.

Juvia rose from the water and Gray did the same, their hands twined together as they walked back. She looked to her husband. “I like here.” She told him and he hummed in agreement. “But I miss home.” Gray frowned her direction and she chuckled. “Even though I love everything I see here and intend to enjoy every second, I miss it. I’ve never been homesick before, not even when Juvia left the March. It’s kind of weird.”

Gray stopped walking and pulled her to his arms. “You have no idea how much it means to me when you say the Duchy is your home.”

“Well, Gray-sama,” she smiled “Juvia’s home is with you.”

**#**

Two weeks later, they arrived back at Avalanche Castle and Juvia even though her time at the beautiful little town meant the world to her, she was more than happy to return to her home. She started to act on her ideas of how to improve the nursery to welcome the baby in a few months and, after running the idea by her husband, she started a charity.

After seeing the horror of the avalanche, she wanted to help the people who needed what to eat and wear. She rented a large warehouse by the docks for it and set up a kitchen and helped sort out through clothes’ donations.

Almost everyday she would take her guards with her down to the docks to help with the cooking, serving or distribution of clothes.

In just a few weeks, whenever she walked through the fair to get to the docks, she was greeted by almost everyone in a friendly way and she was happy to reply in earnest, glad her work helped even if just a little. Some even stopped her to give her advice about pregnancy and wished her well – she was seven months pregnant by then – and she found out some of those advices actually worked.

Some days, Gray would walk with her and help once or twice a week, wanting more contact with his people and to keep an eye on his wife and the days Juvia didn’t go, she spent her time sewing some clothes to give them back as new or knitting mittens or scarves. She decided she really liked to keep busy, no matter what.

A particular day, Gray had decided to join her and walk to the docks, even if he wasn’t going to be able to stay. She had her arm on his for support and they walked slowly down the road, as her large size wouldn’t let her go any faster.

“Good morning, Lady Juvia.” A fruit merchant greeted them, a woman in her thirties with dark blonde hair and hazel eyes. “My Lord.”

“Good morning, Gretel.” The Duchess smiled and Gray tilted his head in acknowledgement and they kept walking, a few more people greeting them.

“You are a very popular woman.” Gray told her and Juvia smiled.

“Are you jealous?” She teased him.

He scoffed but played along. “Maybe.”

“Don’t worry, you are Juvia’s only love.” She kissed his cheek. They stopped so he could kiss her lips better and they could hear the whispers around them. “People are talking.” She told him, their lips so close together they might as well have been kissing again.

“Let them.” Gray said, but they started to walk again either way. “Promise me you will rest today and won’t be on your feet all day long.”

“Today Juvia is reading for the children after lunch is served.” She told him. “Don’t worry.”

“Alright.” He agreed. “I just worry about… you…” Gray stopped walking and she frowned with his tone and how his body became tense.

“Gray-sama?” Juvia asked, concerned and saw he was looking straight ahead of them, eyes wide and mouth slightly open in surprise. Following his line of vision, she saw a man standing a few meters away; he was wearing a dark brown coat that matched his pants and boots, his black hair was slicked back, his eyes were dark, he had a terrible scar above his eyebrow and she could’ve swear she knew him from somewhere. More concerned about her husband, Juvia looked back to him. “Gray-sama, what is wrong?”

The unknown man took a few steps towards them before the guards stopped him. “Gray.” It was all he said.

Breathless and confused, Gray whispered, to Juvia’s surprise: “Father?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah. Things are happening.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The consequences of Silver’s arrival.

 

The moment Gray turned around to face her, Juvia saw him and she had never seen him so afraid, not even when he had rescued her from the river she fell in.

“Do you see him?” Gray asked in a terrified whisper, his eyes were wide and he had gone so pale Juvia put a hand on his cheek, worried. “Do you see him?” He asked again.

“Yes, of course I see him.” Juvia told him quietly and he nodded. “What is going on? Who is he?” Juvia must’ve heard it wrong, that could not be Gray’s father. The Duke blinked a few times before shaking his head.

“He was supposed to be dead.” Gray whispered and Juvia frowned, heart beating faster.

“Gray!” They heard from a few feet away and the Duke turned back to look at the man who was being held by two guards. “I need to talk to you.”

“No, no, no.” Gray said to himself and then back at the unknown man. “I don’t know what is happening, but it can’t be good, not after all these years.” Juvia saw the man’s face contort in pain with the words.

“Gray, please. I’m sorry I left you, but I-” Juvia came out from behind Gray to take a better look at the older man and the moment their eyes met, he stopped talking to look at her and all Juvia could see there was pain. His dark eyes – eyes that reminded her of her husband’s – roamed over her figure until it settled on her swollen stomach and his expression became softer. Juvia frowned and opened her mouth to speak to him when her husband put himself in front of her, hiding her from view.

“Don’t even _look_ at her.” Gray snarled and when he turned to look at Juvia, he was shaking, in fear or in anger she didn’t know. “We need to go.” Gray told her.

“Juvia has to go to the-” She tried, but her husband cut her off, putting an arm around her shoulders and pushing her towards the castle.

“ _Juvia_ , we are going home.” Gray’s tone was hard and left no room for questions.

“Gray-sama, you are scaring me.” Juvia told him, a hand over her stomach and fear making her heart beat faster. Gajeel, who always accompanied Juvia wherever she went, was just a few feet behind them, his jaw set and his hand on the sword he had on his belt and she never felt even more afraid than having the two men in her life looking like that.

He looked at her and his expression turned a bit relaxed; she was probably looking even more scared than he was. Gray nodded and put his hand on top of hers over her stomach. “I know and I’m sorry. I’ll have you safe at home in-”

“Gray! Look at me. Please, son.”

The Duke stopped and his whole body tensed. Juvia looked up and saw his face harden and the grip on her shoulder tightened almost painfully. Gray let go of her and looked over his shoulder. “Gajeel. Stay with Juvia.”

“Sure.” The tall man stepped closer to Juvia and without even a glance at his wife, Gray turned around and walked to where the older man was, still being held by two guards. Juvia took a step in his direction, but Gajeel put a hand in front of her, holding her in place. “Don’t even think about it.”

Gray took a few steps and stopped just in front of them. The older man tried to speak. “Son, let me explain, I-”

“Don’t call me that! And you are _not_ going to explain anything because my father died _years_ ago. I don’t know _how_ you’re here or _why_ , but you’ll leave me and my family alone.”

“I will leave you alone if it’s what you want.” He answered after a few moments and lowered his head. “But I won’t leave town. I’m staying at the River Kraken Inn if you want to-”

Gray got closer to him, their breaths mingling with one another, and he hissed: “You are going to leave as soon as you can, do you hear me? The next time I see you, I’ll kill you myself.” He looked at the guards holding him. “You can let him go once we’re far enough.”

The Duke walked purposely towards his wife and her guard, ignoring the people who stopped to see what was happening. Juvia couldn’t believe her ears. Was that man really…?

Gray stopped in front of her and Gajeel stepped aside to let him through. Gray grabbed her by the hand and they started to walk again towards the castle. “We are going.”

“Gray-sama, was that who I think it is?” Juvia asked, surprised.

“Yes.” His jaw was set. “I don’t know how, but it’s _him_.”

Juvia looked over her shoulder and saw Gray’s father staring at them as they left, his expression of sadness and it broke her heart. “Shouldn’t you talk to-”

“No.” Gray cut her off. “We need to get back to the castle. I don’t know what he’s doing here but I am not taking any chances with you or our child.”

“Gray-sama.” Juvia stopped, he was walking way too fast for her waddling.

“We’ll talk when we’re home.” Gray pulled her gently and Juvia took a few steps before she stopped once again. “Juvia, come on.”

“Look at me.” The blunette asked and Gray tried to pull her away but she didn’t let him. “Gray-sama, talk to me.”

The Duke finally looked at her and Juvia could see he was more afraid than angry. Gray let go of her hand just to step close to her, both his hands cupping her face. “Juvia, please. I don’t know what is happening and I need you back at the castle where I know you are safe. _Please_.” Juvia took in his expression, the way his hands were trembling, how pale he was and his fast breathing. “We’ll talk there, but we need to leave now.”

Juvia nodded and Gray released a breath in relief. “Okay, but we need to go slower; I really can’t walk any faster at the moment.”

“Yes, yes. I’m sorry.” Gray kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry. We’ll go slower, alright? But we need to move.”

**#**

After yelling he needed to talk to his advisors as fast as possible, Gray pulled Juvia to his office and closed the door behind them. He took her towards the chair in front of the fireplace and made her sit down. He kneeled in front of her, looking at every inch of her.

“Are you alright?” Gray asked.

“Of course Juvia’s alright, Gray-sama.” She put her hands on his shoulders and he let out a long breath. “But you are not. Talk to me.”

Gray looked up to her, his eyes wide. “I… I don’t know what is happening, Juvia.” He whispered. “My dad was dead. The bandits killed him alongside with my mother, but I recognized his face today, and his voice.” His voice shook. “I don’t know how…”

“Did you see his body?” Juvia asked him, gently. “What do you remember?”

“I…” Gray seemed to think for a moment. “No, I didn’t see his body. I… I remember yelling, my mother screaming and then something hit me, the house was burning. I woke up here in the castle.” If it was possible, his eyes became even larger. “I never saw it. Neither of them. I believed what people told me.”

“Do you think your mother might be…?”

He shook his head. “No. She wouldn’t leave me and by the way my fa-” he caught himself before he slipped the word “ _he_ looked, there is no way she is alive as well.”

Juvia hummed in agreement and stood up from the chair; Gray got up from the floor to help her, a hand on her lower back and grabbed one of hers with his other.

“We need answers.” She told him. “ _You_ need answers and you won’t get them from your counselors, not if they have been lying to you all these years. We need to talk to him.”

Gray frowned. “ _We_?” He shook his head. “Oh, _hell no_. I am not going anywhere near him and neither will you. Especially you. I saw the way he looked at you; your stomach got his attention and I am not letting you out of this castle until this is handled.”

Juvia raised her eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

“If you think that you are leaving here for the foreseeable future, you are very much mistaken.” Gray informed her. “I need you safe in here. I almost lost you twice and I am really not looking forward to a third.”

“You can’t keep me here. I also saw him look at me and he just looked… sad.” Juvia told her husband. “During the time you were talking, he just looked pained to see you after so long. He really seem to just want to talk to you.”

“Well, I am not going to talk to him.” Gray snapped at her. “And neither are you or anyone else I care about.”

“Gray-sama, I know you are hurting right now, but-” Juvia was cut by a loud knock on the door and pushed it open. Gray’s counselors entered the room and bowed once they saw her, muttering her title in respect.

“We were told you wanted to speak with us, Sir.” One of them, Junes, said and Gray nodded.

“Yes.” Gray turned his attention back to Juvia, putting a hand on her cheek. “Go rest for a while, put your feet up and don’t worry. I’ll figure things out.”

“If you could just-” Juvia tried, but Gray kissed her to shut her up.

“Go. It will be fine.” He told her. “I’ll come and find you when I know something.”

With a sigh, Juvia just nodded and walked out of the room, the door closing behind her. Gajeel was leaning on the wall across of her, arms crossed over his chest and waiting for her.

Juvia started to walk toward the great hall, Gajeel a few steps behind her without mutter a word. The moment they were alone in the hall, Juvia huffed in annoyance.

“’Go rest, Juvia.’” She mocked Gray’s voice. “’Put your feet up, Juvia.’ ‘I don’t need your help’.” Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her and Juvia narrowed her eyes in his direction. "What? Do you think I need to go lie down and out my feet up as well?”

“I think that you are heavily pregnant and your husband is trying to protect you.” Gajeel shrugged.

“Oh, shut up. Not you too.” Juvia groaned. “If he could just hear me and go talk to his father… You saw him, Gajeel-kun.” Juvia asked her friend. “He was sad. By the way he looked, he didn’t even seem to find us on purpose; he just wanted a few words with his son.”

“I think it’s Gray’s choice to make.” Gajeel told her. “And I think that yes, you should go rest. Your face is red and that cannot be good, especially with the pregnancy thing.”

“Argh, no one listens to me! The key is _communication_ and my husband seems to forget that.” Juvia groaned and put a hand over her stomach when the baby started to kick her a little too hard with all the excitement. “Shh… it’s alright.” She whispered to herself, caressing the bump and taking deep breaths to calm herself. “I’m calming down now.”

“What is happening?” Gajeel took two steps and stood next to her, clearly worried. “Do I need to get anyone?”

“It’s fine.” Juvia pulled one of the chairs and sat down slowly with Gajeel by her side. “The baby gets fussy when I get too worked up.”

Gajeel frowned. “Is this normal?”

“I guess.” Juvia shrugged.

“We need to change the subject, then.” He looked nervous and Juvia rolled her eyes – Gajeel always looked uncomfortable when the topic was her pregnancy, apparently he was terrified of babies. “Stop getting nervous about shit.”

“Yes, because it’s _that_ easy.” Juvia snorted and after a few moments, the baby finally calmed down. “It’s over for now.”

“Good, good.” Visibly relaxing, Gajeel took a step back from her. “Stop thinking shit and calm down.”

“I’ll try.” The Duchess nodded and eyed her friend carefully; he was different, she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what, but he seemed less worries since they moved to Winter. “What is happening with you?”

Gajeel frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You are different.” She narrowed her blue eyes.

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” He shrugged but she saw right through him.

“Tell me or I’ll get worked up again trying to figure it out.” Gajeel looked away. “Is it about your job?”” Gajeel didn’t react. “Or someone?” He looked at her quickly by the corner of his eyes and she knew she was on the right track. “You did! Is it a girl?” He groaned in annoyance and Juvia beamed. “It is! Tell me!”

“Can’t you let this go?” Gajeel muttered and his cheeks got redder.

“Oh, no. You wanted to speak about something else, let’s speak about something else!”

Gajeel looked at her for a few seconds, assessing her and he sighed in defeat. “Alright, remember that girl, Levy?” Juvia nodded. “Well, I am taking her to the festival next week.”

Juvia squealed in happiness and for a few minutes, there were only her and her friend to worry about.

**#**

“They said my grandfather never told them about how I ended up here.” Gray told his wife when they were getting ready to go to bed. “He told them the same thing he told me: both my parents had died and I was his grandchild.” He stepped behind her and helped her take her robe off.

“That is strange.” Juvia said and she sat on the bed. “Why would he do that? He must’ve known your father was alive.”

“And he didn’t tell me.” Gray’s tone was bitter, but he arranged the pillows to her liking before watch her lie down and put the blanket over her. “I don’t know why, nothing makes sense.” He walked around the bed to his side and got underneath the covers next to her. “And why would my fa- why wouldn’t _he_ seek me out? Everyone knows my history, about where I come from.” He pulled her close to him, her big stomach between them and, just as he liked to do when upset, Gray put a hand over it.

“You know what you need to do.” Juvia told him, her head was over his chest, hearing his heartbeat and it started to beat faster with her words. “He said he’s not leaving until he talks to you.”

“No.” He gritted his teeth. “I told him I wouldn’t go to him and I won’t. I don’t know what he wants, but it can’t be good.”

The Duchess sighed. “I really must insist you-”

“Juvia, please.” His tone was harsh. “I’m done talking about this. I just need to sleep right now and you need it as well.”

After a moment, Juvia nodded. “Alright. I’ll drop it off for now.”

“Thank you.” He kissed the top of her head. “Try to sleep, your due date is getting close.” Juvia couldn’t help it but to smile at that bit of information. “I want to make sure you don’t have any complications, not if I can help it.”

“I’m going to be fine.” She looked up at him. “Both of us will be fine.”

“I know.” Gray caressed her back and kissed her lips lightly. “Good night.”

“Good night.” She whispered and saw him close her eyes. He was still so tense even when he tried to sleep that Juvia couldn’t help but to start to plan on how to make him go talk to his father.

But first, she had to make sure his father wasn’t there to hurt her husband in any way. She needed to talk to him face to face, even knowing Gray would most likely be very angry at her.

**#**

“This is the shittiest idea you’ve ever had, just so you know.” Gajeel said while he was sitting next to her at the River Kraken small tavern. “Your husband will kill me once he realizes we left the castle. And you know what, I’ll let them because I should’ve kept you there in the first place.”

“And you know I would’ve found a way out either way.” She shrugged and took another bite of the lemon cake she had ordered to the innkeeper – the robust red haired woman seemed delighted to have the Duchess at her inn and even more so when Juvia liked her cake so much she ordered another piece. “What would’ve you done? Tackle an eight months pregnant woman to the floor? Chain me to the wall?”

“Chaining you up seems like a really good option.” He hissed and she shrugged. “I don’t know why you are so confident; he’ll be even more pissed off with you than you know. You are putting his kid at risk too.”

By instinct, Juvia put a hand over her stomach. “Juvia would never put her baby in danger. Do you really think that if I thought this was dangerous, I would’ve come here?” She sighed. “I just want to make sure he doesn’t want money, or to do something to hurt Gray-sama even more than he already has.”

Gajeel looked past her, towards the door and lifted his chin that way. “I guess we’re about to find it out.” Juvia looked over her shoulder and saw the innkeeper talking with Gray’s father and point in their direction. Silver, Juvia knew it was his name, looked at them and was clearly surprised to see her there. “Last chance to go back at the castle without people notice we’re gone.”

“I don’t think so.” Juvia straightened her back the best she could when she saw Silver approach their table with hesitance. He stopped in front of the table, eyeing her carefully and she did the same to him. He looked so much like her husband would in the future, the resemblance was uncanny and she wondered if her own child would inherit the dark hair and eyes, the shape of their chin.

“Lady Juvia.” He bowed his head her direction and nodded towards Gajeel’s direction. “I am… surprised to see you here. I thought my son would keep you away from me.”

“He tried.” Juvia tried to remember every single thing she learned from being the Duchess for a year and tried to approach him with the same coldness she did Gray’s counselors. “But I wanted to speak with you.” She waved at the remaining chair. “Seat, please.” He did what he was told and waited. “I hope you don’t mind my friend staying with us for this talk, Mr. Fullbuster.”

“Just Silver is fine, I haven’t been treated as ‘Mr’ in a long time, Lady Juvia.” He tried to smile. “And the guard doesn’t bother me, I think is better if you tell my son you had backup because if he’s anything like he was as a kid, he’ll be very angry to not have been heard.”

“Thank you.” She tilted her head his way. “And you can call me Juvia. No matter what happened between you and Gray-sama, you are still my father-in-law.”

Silver frowned for a moment. “Oh, that’s right. You are my daughter-in-law.” He smiled and Juvia’s heart ached with the sight, she just sensed he didn’t smile much. “That’s good.” Juvia couldn’t help but to smile a little as well. “But let’s talk. I have a feeling you’ll have to come back to the castle soon.”

“Yes.” She agreed. Juvia studied him for a few moments and saw the bags under his eyes, the scar on his forehead, his hands were callused and his worn out clothes. But the pain in his eyes was what broke Juvia’s heart. He didn’t have an easy life. “Are you here to harm us?”

The straight question took him off balance because he blinked a couple of times before his eyes widened in surprise. “What? No.” He looked in question in Gajeel’s direction, but the guard remained stoic. “Gods, no.”

Juvia decided the reaction was real and so was the answer. “Then why are you here?”

Silver looked conflicted about speaking, he looked down to the floor. “I left because-”

“No.” Juvia raised a hand and cut him off. The older man frowned when he looked up to her, clearly confused about her reaction. “I didn’t ask that. I don’t want to know why you left. That story you need to tell to your son first and if he wants to share it with me, he will. _That_ is between you two and only you can resolve.” Juvia told him. “But you are here right now and _this_ is between _us_.” She told him with confidence. “I want you to know why you are here _now_.”

By the way he was looking at her, it was as if he was seeing her for the first time and Juvia could swear she saw respect in his expression. “I am tired of running.” His shoulders dropped. “I’ve been working on ships ever since I left, passing crews, never really getting attached to any of them, just trying to find somewhere to sleep and get enough money to eat. Some days I didn’t even have that, but I had accepted my fate.” He took a breath. “Last month the ship I travelled in, sank.”

Juvia tried to remain impartial, but she was sure her surprise showed in her expression, but if Silver noticed, he didn’t show, just kept talking. “I thought I was going to die, I thought I would drown, going to die and go to the afterlife to see my wife. All I’ve ever wanted was to see her again.” He stopped for a moment. “I was drowning, I had given up but then… I saw my wife, right there in the water with me.”

Even Gajeel raised an eyebrow at that. “Yes, I know it’s unbelievable but it’s what I saw and I heard her speaking inside my mind about how my life wasn’t done yet. That I had another mission here, that I had to survive and find our son. She told me he would need me.” Silver sighed. “The next thing I know I am swimming and hanging on debris from the ship. I got rescued a day later alongside with two crewmates.” He passed a hand through his hair, just like Gray did when nervous. “I’ve been here for weeks, I’ve seen you at the shelter, I’ve watched you and my son when he walked you there.”

“Meeting us was not in your plans.” Juvia said and Silver nodded.

“I thought about it but I was afraid he’d be angry with me.” He offered her a sad smile. “And I was right.”

“You have to understand how much of a shock this is.” The Duchess told him.

Silver nodded. “Of course. I know he doesn’t understand what is happening, but I’m not leaving. I’m staying here even if he tries to kick me out.” He looked into her eyes. “I know I screwed up, I know that and I am not expecting for us to be a happy family, I’m not even asking for him to listen to me. But he is my son and he’ll need me. And I’ll be here when that time comes.”

“What if it never comes?” Juvia asked.

He shrugged. “I really hope it doesn’t. But I am not going anywhere. I’m here to stay.”

Juvia rubbed her stomach absentminded while she considered his answers. “Do you understand it will take a lot for him to trust you again, to even _talk_ to you?” Silver nodded. “Alright, Juvia will help you.”

“You will?” Silver was clearly surprised.

“Yes.” Juvia nodded and then narrowed her eyes. “But I’ll let you know that if you even _think_ about hurting him or even do it by accident, I will make you pay.” She leaned on the table, her elbows resting on it. “I am not a violent woman and I have absolutely no skills to do this myself, but he” she pointed at Gajeel “is a completely different matter. If I give him the order, he’ll see it carried.” Juvia didn’t even need to look at Gajeel to know he was smiling evilly. “I will protect my husband even if it is from his own father. Juvia is trusting you and you’ll only get this chance. I might regret this later and I don’t care if I sound naïve, but everyone has the right for a second chance and this is yours. If you mess it up, it’s over.”

With a nod, Silver agreed. “I was given a second chance in life and now with my son. I won’t mess it up even if he refuses to see me.”

Juvia hummed in agreement. “I’ll try to make him come here. It might take a while, he is stubborn.”

“I waited more than ten years to talk to him again; I can wait a few more days.” Silver said and then offered her a feeble smile. “And most of his stubbornness comes from my side of the family. Fullbusters are very stubborn. But my wife was also very strong minded, so I guess he’s even more stubborn than me.”

Juvia smiled. “I hope this child doesn’t inherit that particular trait.”

“I wouldn’t count on that.” Silver chuckled and when he glanced at her stomach, his expression softened.

In the spur of the moment and seeing his expression, Juvia decided to give him something to look forward to. “Do you want to feel the baby?” She asked slowly, not knowing if it would scare him away. “It’s been active for a few minutes.”

Silver shook his head. “I shouldn’t; Gray wouldn’t want me to.”

With a smile, Juvia shrugged. “You are this baby’s grandfather and no matter what happens between you and Gray-sama, that will never change.” The blunette waited a moment. “But if it makes you uncomfortable of it Juvia is pushing too much…”

“You are not.” Silver tried to put her worries at bay. “I… I would…” He cleared his throat. “Yes, I’d like that.”

Trying to not do any sudden movements, Juvia reached for his hand and she could feel the calluses, his hand was rough. The Duchess gently placed on the spot the baby was kicking for the past few minutes and surely, a few seconds later she felt the kick and so did Silver by the way his eyes widened.

“Oh.” He breathed and the blunette saw his eyes start to water. “I never thought I’d feel anything like that again.” Silver used the back of his other hand in an attempt to hide a tear. “I think I forgot how it is to be happy.”

And just like that, Juvia’s heart broke for him. It should’ve been hell to lose his wife and then his son, jumping from crew to crew just to be able to have a roof over his head and food to eat.

Juvia wasn’t worried anymore, not entirely. She was making the right choice.

They talked for a few more minutes before Gajeel say it was time to go, the people from the castle probably already noticed their Duchess was not there and it would be panic if they didn’t arrive soon.

After reassuring Silver she was going to do her best, Juvia asked two more slices of lemon cake to go and her, alongside with her bodyguard, walked as fast as she could to the castle.

Just when they reached the gates, Gajeel stepped closer to her and whispered: “Your husband looks pissed.”

The blunette looked up and found Gray coming down from his horse. He look at her with a mix of fear and anger when he walked towards her with quick strides. Instead of being red with anger, his face was oddly pale – like it had been since he met his father.

“Where were you?” He yelled when he was just a few steps away. The moment he was close enough, he had his hands on her arms. “Are you alright?” Gray looked at everywhere to see it she was hurt. “Juvia, are you alright?”

“Yes, of course.” Juvia tried to speak; she cleared her throat. “I went to the River Kraken Inn.” Of course he recognized the name because in just a second his face lost its paleness and he clearly became angry.

“Do you have any idea the thoughts that went through my mind when I was told you were nowhere to be found?” He asked, his voice still loud. “Especially after I gave you _explicit_ orders to not leave the castle! I was getting ready to search for you. I thought you were kidnapped!”

“I’m sorry.” Juvia was truly sorry she worried him, but she had been afraid to tell anyone she was leaving the castle because they would run to the Duke to tell her plan. “We need to talk.”

“Oh, yes, we do.” Gray said between gritted teeth and Juvia knew he was about to give her a lecture. “Let’s get inside. _Now_.” He growled. “You have a _lot_ of explanations to give, Juvia, and I am not in a forgiving mood.”

 


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to remind you that Juvia is heavily pregnant, hence: hormonal. Those hormones can make a woman go havoc. HAHA Just a small update so they can address somethings.

 

Gray put an arm around her shoulders and guided her inside the castle and he was shaking in anger and fear and all he wanted to do was to take his wife out of everyone’s sight and hold her. But he also wanted to scream at her for hours for being so stupid.

Inside his office, Gray let her go and closed the door behind them just to turn around to look at her. “What on earth were you thinking?”

“I-” The blunette tried but he cut her off.

“What, Juvia? What would be so important for you to leave the safety of the castle? _Please_ , enlighten me.” Gray was so angry he didn’t even realize he started to yell.

Juvia took a deep breath. “I told you we needed answers, that we needed to speak to your fa-”

“Don’t call him that, he hasn’t been anything to me for more than ten years.” He hissed and he saw her look away. “It doesn’t matter now. You left without telling anyone, Juvia, not even a maid to say a word after we noted you were gone! Do you have any idea what I thought? What I felt when I couldn’t find you?”

Her expression softened and she took a step closer to him. “But I am fine. Both of us are fine.”

Juvia’s words did little to “What if you were not? You got yourself in a situation with no information whatsoever about it and with no idea of danger.”

“There was no danger and Juvia had Gajeel-kun with her.” Juvia shook her head. “And your…” She stopped for a moment. “Silver-sama has no plan of hurting us, he just… I think he wants to come home.”

Ignoring her last words, Gray, instead, focused on her first sentence. “No danger? Do you think Gajeel could’ve stopped ten men or more? You couldn’t possibly know if you were safe or not! You know nothing about the danger you are in, Juvia! You should’ve listened to me!”

Juvia looked confused for a moment. “What danger?”

“Do you really think the threats on your life stopped? The common people love you, but there are powerful families that still don’t like that you are the Duchess.” Gray told her, his voice still loud. “Why do you think you only go out with four or five guards at least when you go to the village? As far as I know, they could’ve used him to get to you.”

“What?” She paled and put her hand on her stomach. “What are you talking about?” Gray’s jaw was tight and she could see his words were true. “Were there attempts to…?” The way he looked at her said it all. She put a hand over her mouth and her eyes widened. “How many times?”

Calming down slightly, Gray took a deep breath. “Juvia…”

“ _How many times?_ ” Juvia was the one almost yelling, then.

The Duke weighted his options and decided to tell the truth. “Four times in the past seven months alone.”

“Four?” She blinked and started to walk around, worried, heart beating fast and her thoughts running wild. “You never told me. People have tried to _kill_ me and you never told me.”

“The doctor said you shouldn’t exert yourself and worry too much because of the baby.” Gray passed a hand through his hair. “Certainly shouldn’t have said anything now.”

“You never told me.” Juvia whispered to herself. “People were after me while I am pregnant and you didn’t tell me.”

“That’s not the point right now, Juvia, but the fact that you-”

“No, _that’s_ the point of everything.” She stopped walking. “You don’t tell me anything important, not with what is happening in the Duchy or even my own life! You… you...”

“You are pregnant, Juvia, you are not supposed to-”

“We’ve known I’ve been pregnant for seven months and we’ve been married for more than a year now. Not once you talked to me about something that really matters.” Juvia told him. “Even about your past, you shared so and everything I _do_ know, it was mostly by accident.”

Gray shook his head. “That’s not what-”

“You don’t listen to me and you don’t tell me anything. How could have I known?” Her eyes started to water. “Do you think that if I knew there were people still trying to kill me, I’d left with Gajeel only? Or _at all_? Do you think that I’d put our child at risk?”

“No, I-”

“I tried to talk to you last night and you shot me down. I tried to give you my opinion, to make you _listen_ to my thoughts on the matter and you _ignored_ me.” Juvia rubbed her stomach, feeling the baby kick harder than usual, but paid no mind even when she started to feel hot. “Juvia went to see your father-”

“Don’t call him that.” Gray raised his voice.

“…your _father_ ” she said again with emphasis, interrupting him and between gritted teeth; she was having none of it “because it seemed as if you wouldn’t at all. You wanted to ignore him and not talk about him, but the truth is he is here and he is not going away, no matter how much you try to forget it.” Juvia dried her tears with the back of her hand. “Do you have any idea of how lucky you are? Have you thought that at all?”

“Lucky?” His face was red again in anger. “That man goes away for more than a decade, makes me think he is dead and now returns for what? For us to be a happy family? Not going to happen. I don’t want anything to do with him.”

Juvia shook her head. “Do you have any idea of what I’d give for _my_ father to come back from the dead? Or my mother?” She cried. “She never even held me, I was told. Do you understand that I was never held by my own mother and I’d given the _world_ for her to walk right through that door right now?” Her tears were blurring her vision and making her feel lightheaded, but she didn’t care. “You didn’t even stop to think he had a reason. I know you are hurt and I know you are confused but you can’t just not at least listen to him.”

“I might.” Gray said stubbornly.

The Duchess shook her head and tried to control her breathing, which was much faster than normal. “All I wanted to do was to help you, but you can’t help a person who doesn’t want to be helped.”

“I don’t need help.” Gray looked at her and turned his back on her.

Juvia closed her eyes for a moment before looking back at her husband. “All this shows that you _are_ in desperate need it and the sad part is that you don’t even realize it.” She watched as his shoulders became even tighter from tension and she frowned when the baby kicked too hard and her vision started to get darker. She had dizzy spells throughout the pregnancy, but never that so extreme and she hadn’t been feeling well for a few minutes already. “This…” She breathed. “This is… not right.”

He still hadn’t turned around so he missed when she grabbed the chair for support. Mistaking her words, Gray answered. “What is not right is for a man to pretend he was dead and leave his son behind.”

“No.” Juvia’s vision was almost all black and her knees were about to give in. “Gray-sama. Something is wrong.” She whispered.

“What do you mean-?” He turned around and with the little vision she had, Juvia could see his eyes widen before he ran to her side. “Juvia! Juvia?” She finally lost consciousness, and the last thing she saw was his panicked face.

**#**

If Gray ever had to pick a horrifying moment in his life at that point, seeing his wife so pale and terrified before she fainted would certainly be one of the first. They had been arguing, yelling at each other because of mistrust of both parts hidden away in acts of love. He wanted to protect her from the awful truth while she wanted to find the same for him.

Gray had picked her up from the floor and yelled for the guard behind the door opened so he could get through. The Duke yelled for someone to call the doctor immediately while he went upstairs as fast as he could while carrying her with care. He remembered seeing Gajeel’s face, pale and wide eyed when he saw his friend’s condition, but a moment later he was running and saying he’d get the doctor.

His thoughts resumed in one playing in his head over and over again: _‘Please be alright.’_

The moment he put her down on their bed, Gray sat next to her and touched her skin, feeling it so hot she was sweating, and oddly her hands were cold when he grabbed them and kissed her fingers. “Please don’t leave me, Juvia. Please.” He kept whispering, his eyes stinging with unshed tears. “I’m so sorry, please be alright.”

It seemed like forever before the doctor finally arrived, a nurse right behind him. Gray told them they had been arguing before she fainted and once the words were out of his mouth, he was pushed out of the bedroom by the nurse, saying they needed to examine the Duchess and she’d bring him any news.

The moment the door closed on his face, Gray rested his forehead on it, praying to all the gods he knew for his wife and child to be alright.

“How is she?” Gajeel’s voice came from behind him and when the Duke turned around, the tall man was there alongside with Natsu and Loke, the three looking worried.

“They need to examine her.” Gray said and took off his coat throwing it on the floor, he usually felt hotter when worried. “We were arguing about why she left the castle, I told her about the threats on her life, she got angry and I got angry.” He started to walk in circles. “I shouldn’t have yelled at her. I… yelled at her and now she’s…” He waved towards the room his wife was in and then passed a hand through his hair. “I was so worried she was missing I… I stopped thinking.”

Natsu took a step closer to Gray and put a hand on the Duke’s shoulder. “Gray, you were scared. Just last week Ryuu almost rolled off the bed when I wasn’t looking but I caught him just in time. For the rest of the day, all I did was hold him to my chest because I was scared he’d hurt himself if I let him out of my sight. Every person reacts to fear in their own way.” The pink haired guard told his friend. “You were scared and you could’ve dealt with it better and the next time, you will do better because you learned.”

“What if-”

Natsu shook his head. “No, don’t go down that road. The doctor’s with her. She’s a strong woman. She faced that river and came out of it fine. She can deal with the lots of you and she’ll hand your ass to you once she’s better.” Gray nodded. “Good. Now I need to go see Lucy and Ryuu otherwise she’ll come up here and you do _not_ need my wife being overprotective of her friend, you have a lot to deal with now. I’ll be back soon to know how she is.”

“Thank you.” Gray muttered and watched his friend leave. He, then looked at the other two men. “You can go if you need to.”

“No way.” Loke shook his head while Gajeel’s eyes kept focused on the door, waiting.

The Duke nodded and started to walk around again for a few moments before he stopped in front of Gajeel, to address a delicate matter. “Did _he_ upset her? At all?” Of course the other man knew well who the Duke was referring to.

Gajeel’s red eyes focused on Gray and he narrowed them. “No.”

“Was he rude to her?” He asked.

“No.”

Gray nodded. “Did he… seem genuine to you?”

After thinking for a moment, Gajeel answered. “Yes.”

“I can’t possibly imagine a reason he’d give that made Juvia believe in him.” Gray said and started to walk again but Gajeel’s words made him stop on his tracks.

“He didn’t say why he left. Juvia said she didn’t want to know, that is your business with him, not hers. All she wanted to know was if he were here to hurt you and threatened to send me to kick his ass if he did, even by accident.” Gajeel was so proud of his friend he could barely hide it.

The Duke looked at him in surprise, blinking a few times to process the words before he couldn’t help it but to let out a breathy laugh. “She’s something, isn’t she?”

“And you better not forget it.” Gajeel told him. “After she is better, we need to talk about how you forgot to include me, her personal guard, about the threats on her life and how absolutely stupid that was.”

“I thought you’d tell her.” Gray confessed.

“I’d certainly would’ve protected her better.” Gajeel looked pointedly at him.

Gray sighed. “It seems as if I’m making all the wrong choices in each turn.” He shook his head. “She is right, I need help.”

Loke put a hand on Gray’s shoulder. “All you have do, is ask, Gray. You are not invincible, but you _are_ hard to reach sometimes. Whatever you need, just say the word.”

The sting in his eyes Gray wouldn’t admit it, but it actually felt good. He could do that, just like Juvia said: she was right, they didn’t communicate as they should and he was at fault at that. He opened up a little bit and his friends came to his aid.

He only needed Juvia to wake up so she could help him.

**#**

The moment consciousness finally returned to her, the Duchess was slightly confused when she opened her eyes and saw her husband seated next to her, on the edge of the bed but facing the fireplace quietly while slowly caressing her hand with his thumb.

“Gray-sama?” She asked, confused.

His head turned her way so fast she worried he hurt himself, but then he was cupping her face with one hand, his eyes wide. “Juvia! How are you feeling?” He didn’t even let her answer, just looked over his shoulder. “Nurse, she’s awake. Could you call the doctor back in?” Juvia tried to look at whom he was speaking with, but he caught her attention once again. “How are you feeling?”

Juvia thought for a moment. “Tired.” He nodded and when she tried to sit up, Gray was quick to help her by adjusting her pillows and when she reached for the glass of water on her bedside, he grabbed it and handed it to her. After taking a sip, Gray took it and placed it back. “What… What happened? It’s all a bit fuzzy.”

“We… we were arguing, and then you fainted.” Gray told her quietly.

Widening her eyes and getting paler as she remembered what happened, her hand went straight to her stomach. “Did Juvia fall on her stomach? Is the baby alright?”

“It is fine, I caught you before you fell on your stomach.” He assured her and she nodded. “But the doctor said that it was probably the stress that took its toll on you, Juvia, and I am so, so sorry.” Gray told her. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you, we shouldn’t be fighting and-” He looked away from her.

“No, no, no, Gray-sama.” She put her hands on his cheeks to bring his face back towards her. “I am sorry I worried you. Juvia acted like fool; for all she knew he was here to kill us. But Juvia didn’t think it through and I really shouldn’t have left like I did. I really didn’t know it was so serious and even if weren’t I really should’ve thought it better.”

“And I’m sorry I kept it from you.” He put a hand over hers and kissed its palm. “I thought I was protecting you, but secrets always come out and they ruin things if we are not careful. You were right, we need to talk, we need to share and I promise to listen to you now even when I think I can’t. But you will need to help me on that, I am awful with it.”

Juvia shook her head and pulled him closer so their foreheads rested on one another. “Both of us were in the wrong and you will need to forgive me as well.” She whispered. “We tried to help each other without talking first and it was a mess.” She stopped for a moment. “When we got married, we promised to stand next to each other and Juvia promises she will do her best. She also promised to help you rule the Duchy and Juvia wants to do that as well. You can’t keep me in the dark if Juvia is to do just that.”

Gray nodded. “I was so scared when I couldn’t find you. I thought they had tried again and succeeded.” He whispered. “And when you fainted, all I could think about was how I can’t lose you.” He put a hand on her stomach. “Neither of you.”

“We are not going anywhere.” Juvia told him and gave him a chaste kiss on his mouth.

“The doctor is coming up to tell you not to stress yourself.” He said.

“Well, what stresses me is when my husband thinks he knows best when he really doesn’t.” Juvia started with affection and he offered a small smile in return. “We will learn, but for that to work we can’t make decisions on our own.”

“Agreed.” He was the one to kiss her that time and there was a knock on the door. Gray regrettably stopped the kiss. “After the doctor talks to you, we will have a conversation like adults.” Juvia nodded and Gray yelled for the doctor to get in.

Juvia smiled at her husband and caressed her stomach where the baby kicked and thought about their fight and how they both needed to trust each other more.

She’d learn and so would he. She was right there to help him after all.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, they overcame another crisis. The next chapter we will focus on Gray and Silver. :)
> 
>   


	19. Chapter 19

Gray stood in front of the door, his heart beating fast, hands sweating and he honestly didn't know exactly what he was feeling.

When he left the castle earlier that day, all he was going to do was to ride to a nearby village to check on some of the structures that needed to be remade and then ride back home, after all, even three days later, Juvia was still bedridden per doctor's orders and he didn't want to leave her on her own for too long.

Somehow, he ended up in front of his father's room at the River Kraken's Inn.

"You can go home, Gray." Loke, who had accompanied him, told Gray. "You don't have to talk to him if you don't want to."

"I do." Gray said to his friend. "Juvia is right, I need answers and he's the only one who's got them. I don't want to be confused anymore. In a few days I'm going to be a father myself and I can't start that with this heaviness with my own." Loke nodded. "Stand outside, I want to speak with him alone."

"Very well." The orange haired man took a step to the side and watched as Gray finally gathered enough courage to knock on the door.

"One moment." His father's voice from inside the room made Gray's stomach turn with nervousness and he suddenly felt ill. Even though he had days to assimilate his father was alive, the notion still surprised him. A few seconds after the knock, the door was opened and Gray was facing his father. "What is….it?" Silver finally registered who stood in front of him and his eyes widened. "Gray." He breathed.

Trying to be as expressionless as he could, The Duke nodded once. "I need to talk to you." Even as nervous as he was, Gray tried to sound as clear and polite as possible. "Is this a good time?"

Silver blinked two times and finally opened the door wider. "Yes, yes. Of course." The older man stepped aside and Gray walked inside the room. "Is he coming in?" Silver asked about Loke.

"No. You may close the door." The Duke said and after his father nodded and closed the door, Gray looked around the small room; it was very simple, a single bed, a dresser and a table with only one chair, all bare, and a small suitcase by the corner. The bed was impeccably made, but there were some laundry that appeared to be clean and some were folded.

"You are accustomed to greater rooms, I know. I'm sorry for the mess and the simple room, I… that's what I could afford if I were to stay a long time." Silver looked ashamed and Gray could see the lines on his face much clearly, then.

"I know where I come from." Gray raised his chin. "A simple room doesn't bother me."

Silver nodded, his hands behind his back and he was looking to the floor. "Yes." Gray narrowed his eyes but said nothing. "May I ask how is Lady Juvia? I gather you know she came to visit me; I hope you didn't get too angry with her, she came with a guard and we were in public."

Gray felt his throat close for a second and guilt crashed down on him, but Silver didn't seem to know about the altercation between them, he was merely asking out of curiosity.

"She's the reason why I am here." Gray managed to say. "We exchanged words when she returned home and she fainted due stress."

Silver looked up from the floor, his eyes wide and clearly worried. "How is she? And the baby?"

"They are fine." Gray answering, studying his father's expressions. "But the doctor was worried about an earlier delivery, so he put her in bed rest."

The older man breathed in relief. "Good. That's… good. She's a sweet girl, nice."

"She is." Gray agreed and they stayed in silence for a few seconds and Gray couldn't hold his questions any longer. "You know why I am here. You know everything I will ask you, don't you?"

With a tired sigh, Silver nodded. "I do, yes."

"Then tell me." Gray could hear bitterness in his tone. "Tell me why you made me believe you were dead."

Silver closed his eyes for a few seconds, took a deep breath and finally looked in his son's direction. "My parents died when I was twenty, I never had any other family: no grandparents, no uncles, aunts, siblings. But they left me our farm and I knew how to take care of our flock. It wasn't much, but it was what I had and I was grateful." Silver gulped. "When I met your mother, gods, she was such a brat. She didn't know how harsh life would be when she ran away from the Castle. But your mother was strong. She got a job as a barmaid, got herself a room in an inn for girls. Every second I spent with her made me fall in love harder until I just couldn't breathe without her around, she… became my lighthouse. All I needed to be happy.

"To this day I don't know what she saw in me, but we started to develop a relationship and when I asked her to marry me, she said yes and that was the best day of my life. And then she gave me, you. I still remember the strong cry you gave when you were born. I remember being so happy I couldn't even speak when they put you in my arms. We didn't have much, the winters were always rough but we were together. And then, the Deliora Bandits arrived at our village."

Gray's body tensed and so did Silver's. "It was night, we were asleep when we heard the screams coming from the town. I wasn't a fighter, but I was going to protect my family with whatever I had. We got you out of bed and I hid you and your mother inside the cupboard. There was no room for me, but I didn't care. All I needed was you two safe." Silver took a few breaths. "When they arrived at our house, they wanted our supplies, our money. Like I said, we didn't have much, they thought I was lying. They hit me a few times, pulled me out of the house.

"The next thing I know, I am getting beaten up to a pulp and your mother comes from inside, waving an old dusty sword that probably didn't even have a proper edge and takes two of them on before they disarmed her and hit her on the jaw. At that point I was so beaten up I could barely move. Their leader, Deliora, took his dagger and stabbed her. She had hurt his precious ego when she managed to cut him."

Gray was fighting his tears, then. His memories of the night were always foggy and having someone finally tell him what had happened hurt him a lot more than he thought.

"I tried to get to her, I tried to save her, but they held me down. He stabbed her again and the rest of his gang beat me up so much they thought I was dead. They took a torch, threw inside our house and it started a fire. I crawled to be next to her." Silver dried a tear. "She was still alive and all she was muttering was your name, Gray. You were inside and everything was burning; she was dying and the only thing that mattered to her was to keep you safe." It was Gray's turn to dry his tears. "I gathered all my strength and went in, the cupboard's door was jammed but I managed to open it. You were almost without consciousness when I got you and we were almost out, a beam fell out, hit us."

"I think I remember that." Gray said in a low voice. "I woke up at the Castle."

Silver nodded. "When we were finally out, your mother… she was almost gone. She asked me to give you the best life I could, told me how much she loved us and she was gone." Silver let out a sob and needed a few seconds to speak again. "And there I was; beaten to an inch of my life, you were hurt and your mother was dead."

Gray took a deep breath. "How my grandfather enters in this story?"

The older man dried his cheeks before speaking. "There was a makeshift hospital, someone took us there. You were unconscious still, I was half dead and then enters the Duke of Winter himself. He knew where we lived, he knew his daughter got married and had a son. I've only met him one time and that man hated me. He thought I was the only reason why she didn't return home, and that I couldn't take care of her. Turned out he was right." Silver looked up to Gray. "Doesn't matters his faults and how much we disliked each other, he was suffering with her death like I was, like you would be when you woke up. She was his only daughter and if she was my lighthouse, she was the sun to your grandfather.

"You and I were sharing a blanket on the floor and that was the first time he ever saw you, hurt and unconscious. He looks at me and asked me what happened. When I finished my story, he told his guards to go and hunt the bandits down. We never heard of them again, so I know he had them killed and if I had to guess, tortured first." Gray nodded; he didn't doubt at all his grandfather had ordered the killers of his daughter to be assassinated. "He asked me what would be of us and I told him the truth. I had nothing, they had stolen our supplies, our stock, money and I had no family left. I was in a daze, Gray. I had nothing to give you; no food, no clothes, you were hurt and would need care and I… I had nothing.

"Your grandfather, then, proposed to me for you to be brought to the Castle. You would be taken care of and raised as a Lord; you'd want for nothing but his condition was that you were to think I was dead as well." Gray gritted his teeth. "My immediate answer was to tell him to go to hell, that I promised my wife to give you a good life."

"He used her words to get what he wanted." Gray realized.

Silver nodded. "I had nothing to give you and he had all the means possible and his only condition was for you to never learn I was alive. He convinced me. What did I have? What could I have done for you?"

"You could've told him 'no'." Gray said, angry. "What kind of father gives up his child?"

"The kind of father who thought you would be safer and better taken care of if you were with your grandfather." Silver said, also getting angry. "Don't you think I haven't asked myself this a million times? Because I did. I asked if I had made the right choice and-"

" _And it wasn't_!" Gray yelled. "I didn't need a Castle, a big bed, a title. I needed my father, the man who woke me up early so we could take care of the farm, the man who threw me up in the air and caught me, the man who played snowballs fights with me and tucked me in bed.  _That's_ what I needed!"

"Well, I couldn't give you that anymore, Gray." Silver's voice was also raised. "Do you think I am broken now? I was a hundred times worse when I lost everything. You were the only thing I still had, that I hadn't lost and-"

"And then you chose to abandon me-"

"No, I chose to give you a chance!" Silver finally yelled. "Everything I touched seemed to have broken but there was hope for  _you_. It hurt me so much to give you up, it took away my last shred of sanity but I knew you would be fed, clothed and educated. All things I couldn't give you." Silver was breathing hard. "You don't know the length a parent will go for their child. The hurt he'll take."

"And you didn't take that road. You chose the easiest one."

"You will become a father in a few days, Gray. You can come back and judge my decision when you have your child in your arms, nothing to feed it and nowhere to live." Silver's tone was dark. "It's easy to judge me when your wife is safe back in your Castle, when your child will be born in a safe environment and when you'll never have trouble providing for them."

Gray looked away, he didn't want his father to see him break down even more than he already had. "Was it that easy of a decision to leave me? Just because grandfather could take care of me and you couldn't?"

Silver took a few steps towards his son and put his hands on his shoulders. "I had to make a hard choice and I can't come back from that, but don't you  _dare_  say it was easy. I loved you more than anything, I thought of you every day and I lost every important milestone while you turned into a man. It was painful, but my only consolation was that you were alive and well."

The Duke shook his head. "I never really fit in, I would've given up everything if you had come back."

"No, no, son." Silver put a hand on the back of Gray's head. "My life was never the same –  _I_ was never the same. I never got a home again, I worked hard to gain almost nothing. You were better off at the Castle. You became the Duke, you got married to a lovely woman and there's a child on the way. Don't get lost in the 'what ifs' because there's no come back from that."

"I wish you had stayed." Gray told him. "There were times I needed you more than anyone and I thought you were dead."

"I know. I know." Silver pulled Gray for a hug. "I'm so sorry things went down that way, son. That awful night changed our lives forever. If could change the past… But we can't, no matter how much we want to. I learned that the hard way." Silver sniffled. "Just… let's focus on the future."

Gray finally hugged his father back, his face on the older man's shoulder to hide his tears. "I haven't forgiven you yet." Gray mumbled, stubborn. "There's too much we need to talk about."

"I know, kid." Gray could feel Silver smile as his cheek rested on top of Gray's head. "But just you letting me give you this hug already means much more than you know."

Deciding to not say a word, Gray just cried silently as his father held him for the first time in a decade. Gray didn't know how much he had missed that until he had it again.

His wife was right, he was lucky.

**#**

Juvia was knitting while seated at the comfortable chair in front of the fireplace. She had to glare at her guards – especially Gajeel – to get out from her bedroom since her husband had told her not to leave there, but her doctor told her she could walk, just not overdo.

She smiled at the little yellow sock she was knitting and her heart beat faster because in just a few days she would be a mother, there would be a new life in the world made by her and her husband.

Feeling her back ache after being in the same position for a while, Juvia got up with difficulty and walked towards the tall window and she could see the village's lights. She sighed, knowing she wouldn't be going there until she and Gray fixed the problem of her assassination attempts and she felt sad; she loved going there.

The Duchess was so lost in thought she failed to notice her husband standing on the door's threshold until he spoke. "Will you ever listen to me?" She looked over her shoulder and smiled his way. "Don't give me that smile, the doctor said you needed to rest."

"He said that, yes. But Juvia is resting, just not in bed. Besides, I was seated until five minutes ago, I need to stretch my legs. I won't do anything to overdo, don't worry." Gray snorted and finally walked her way and she noticed his expression and his puffy eyes. She got worried right away. "Gray-sama?" She put her hands on his cheeks when he was close enough. "What happened?"

Gray stared at her for a moment. "I went to see my dad." Juvia's eyes widened. "I didn't even planned it, I was coming back home and the next thing I know, I am at the inn."

"How did it go?" She asked.

"He told me his reason why he left. I still think there was another way, but he made a point that got stuck in my mind." Gray put a hand on her stomach. "I don't have to worry about having this choice because you are here with me and the baby is fine. I haven't been through what he had been through, so how can I judge him?"

Juvia smiled sadly. "It's going to be a long road until both of you understand each other again, but you gave the first step and that's amazing."

"We'll see how it goes." Gray told her and Juvia nodded. The Duke kissed his wife on the lips and got into his knees, resting his forehead on Juvia's stomach and she caressed his hair. "I'll try to do better than he did." Gray whispered to her stomach. "I promise not to make the same mistakes. I will make some, but hopefully you will forgive me for them." He kissed her belly and the only thing between was the soft fabric of her gown. "I'm waiting to meet you."

"You are making me cry." Juvia was drying her face when Gray got off his knees and he smiled at her.

"Sorry. But that was a talk between the baby and I, what were you doing eavesdropping us?"

Juvia giggled and hit him on the shoulder lightly. "Oh, shush."

Gray's smile widened. "I, uh… I invited my father for dinner tomorrow, if that's okay." Juvia looked surprised. "Yes, yes. I was surprised too, but what you told me about me being lucky to have him back didn't leave my mind and if we are to be alright again, we need to see each other. I am not asking him to move in here, but I figured a dinner is a start."

Juvia's eyes watered again. "I am so proud of you." He blushed and she kissed his lips. "So proud."

"Yeah, well. Seeing you pass out like that in front of me a few days ago and thinking you were going to die really made me more sensitive."

"At least that stupid fainting got some purpose, as annoying as it was."

"Let's not do that again, please."

Juvia shrugged. "It was the baby. It got mad when you were being stubborn with its grandfather."

Gray was very amused. "Oh, so now I answer to the baby."

"Yes." Juvia smiled. "Better get used to it."

"Will do." He agreed. "Now, should I escort you back to bed? You had your adventure for today."

"Very well." The Duchess sighed in resignation and twined her arm with her husband's and rested her head on his shoulder, glad he was learning to give people a chance at redemption.

**#**

Juvia was excited for dinner, she really enjoyed talking with Silver when she visited him and Gray was willing to at least have his father in his life, they needed to figure out how much, of course. Her husband had told the tale of why his father had left him and by the end of it, she was sobbing so hard Gray was panicking.

She hoped she'd never given that choice; her baby wasn't even born yet and she already loved it so much it hurt. For someone to give that up, only utter despair and hopelessness.

Feeling the baby kick hard, Juvia pushed the thought away to not get upset – the child was kicking her too hard that day it hurt, but she didn't say a word, afraid Gray would reschedule dinner and she wouldn't have it.

After conferencing with the cook and getting the menu right, Juvia went to take a bath to get ready, but the annoying pain she had been pushing away the whole day was getting harder to ignore. The maids helped her put on her beautiful dark blue dress and the moment they looked away, Juvia cringed with the pain and the reason finally became clear.

"Could you call Lucy-san here, please?" She asked a maid and the girl was prompt to help.

After a few minutes, the blonde woman knocked on the door and entered the room, her son in her arms, Ryuu was the cutest baby and Juvia was very fond of him.

"You look beautiful." Lucy told her friend and put Ryuu on the bed and he crawled his way to Juvia and the blunette gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you." Juvia said. "Erm… Lucy-san." The other woman looked at her. "How long it took you to not stand the birth pains anymore?"

"What? Why are you-?" Her eyes widened. "Juvia! Are you-?"

"Shhh." The blunette tried to get up and Lucy helped her. "Maybe I am. Probably. But I don't want to ruin their dinner."

"Don't want to ruin their din- Are you hearing yourself?" Lucy was far then baffled with the Duchess. "If you are in labor, you need to send for the midwife."

"I know." Juvia agreed. "But dinner starts in half an hour, maybe, and when they are finished I'll tell them? They need this."

"And you'll need to push that baby out in a few hours." Lucy picked up her son, who had crawled back in her direction.

"Do you think I can hide it? For a bit?" Juvia asked and Lucy sighed.

"Yes. But not for long. They get really painful at a point and you can't ignore it anymore."

"Alright, I can do this." Juvia tried to convince herself but she remembered the screams she heard when she went to talk to Natsu as he waited for his son to be born and she was suddenly nervous.

"Whoa, you've gone pale, Juvia."

"I'm going to be a mother." Juvia's tone was of surprise and realization. "Today, probably, and I am terrified."

Lucy smiled. "Of course you are. Are you sure you want to go to this dinner?"

"Yes." She nodded. "Juvia can hold on a bit longer."

"I will call the midwife and ask her to wait here; we'll prepare everything for when you think it's time to stop being stubborn and let nature take its course."

"Thank you." She felt the pain again and she tried to hide it but Lucy looked at her knowingly. "It's fine now. It's alright."

"Sure it is."

**#**

Silver was happy to see her just like she had been to see him. He hugged her and thanked her for be there for Gray. Juvia, of course, wave him off and told him that what family was for. Gray had his arm around her shoulder in a very protective way even though there was nothing, to worry about.

At first, her husband had been incredibly stiffy with conversation, but once Silver started telling embarrassing stories about Gray's childhood, he began to laugh at the memories and each time Juvia's heart doubled sized with the warm sound. She just couldn't cut their time together, not because of manageable pain. They were so focused on the conversation they didn't notice Juvia barely touched her food and the times when she became tense as a contraction hit her.

"…and then comes my wife, covered in mud Gray perfectly clean behind her and she looks so angry at him." Silver laughed. "Oh, son, I thought she was going to kill you."

"Well, the time she tried, I got out of the way and she fell into the mud. I wasn't worried." Gray smiled and then glanced at his wife. He frowned when he noticed her expression and the drops of sweat on her forehead. "Juvia? Are you okay?" His father looked her way and also looked worried.

Juvia let out a long breath and when she looked in their direction, eyes watering. "Sorry."

"What for?" Gray became even more worried.

"Juvia… Juvia thinks she's in labor." Both men had their eyes wide open in shock. "I-I tried to give you time to t-talk and…"

"You are in labor?' Gray got up immediately and went to her side. " _Juvia!_ "

"I know, and I'm sorry." She sobbed. "But you ne-needed this din-diner."

"What I  _needed_  was to know you were in pain and giving birth!" Gray was angry at himself for not seeing sooner she was uncomfortable. "We need to call the midwife and the doctor and-"

"Lucy-san called the midwife." Juvia got up from the chair and Gray held her, Silver was by her other side, holding her by the elbow and both men leaded her outside the dining room and towards the stairs.

"Juvia-chan, you really should've told us. I would've understand." Silver's tone was calm, but she felt like a naughty child caught doing something she shouldn't have.

"I'm sorry." She said and they started to walk up the stairs and Gray yelled for someone to get the doctor as well, since the midwife was already waiting. Once they were up, Juvia stopped walking. "Wait, wait" Both men stopped and another wave of pain hit her, that time worse, she gritted her teeth and held on their forearms with all the strength she had in her. After a few seconds, she breathed out. "Alright. Alright. This one was bad."

"Shit." Gray cussed and he looked terrified. "Juvia-?"

"I'm fine." She told him and started to walk again in direction of their bedroom. "I want to lie down."

"Come on." Silver said and kept helping her until Gray told him to get the door of the next room.

Thankfully, the midwife and a nurse were already there and the room seemed to be ready for the birth of the baby. After greeting the two women, Juvia sat down on the bed and Gray kneeled in front of her, he held one of her hands.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me." He told her, stern and Juvia smiled guiltily.

"Sorry." She breathed.

"They will kick me out soon." He kissed her hand. "I don't want to leave you."

"Me neither." Juvia smiled. "But think about the fact that the next time we see each other, we'll have our child with us."

"Yes." Gray's smile was clear nervous. "Just… Promise you'll be alright."

"Of course." She said. "I love you." He looked to her and got up from the floor so he could kiss her lips.

"I love you too." Gray whispered and her eyes watered.

" _Now_  you tell me?" She laughed through the tears. "Couldn't you have found a time when we were alone and I wasn't giving birth?"

"Sorry." He smiled and kissed her again, but stopped when she winced in pain and her hand went to her stomach.

"Lord Gray, I need to ask you to leave." The midwife, an older woman named Hazel, asked gently. "We need to prepare Lady Juvia. I will update you as much as I can."

Gray didn't move until Juvia was no longer in pain for the moment. She breathed hard and tried to smile at him, but he could see that she was just as scared as she was.

"I'll be on the other side of that door" he pointed towards the room's door "until the baby comes, alright? I'm not leaving for a second. Do you understand me? I'll be right there."

"Alright." Juvia nodded, relief was clear in her expression. "And, uh, well. Juvia will be here."

Gray smiled and kissed her again, stalling his leave. "I'll see you in a bit."

"See you in a bit." She answered and waved good-bye to Silver, who hadn't left the room yet and he smiled and waved back at her before following his son out, a hand on his shoulder.

Gray looked over his shoulder to where Juvia was one more time before they left and he closed the door behind him, breathing a few times very quick.

"There you go, son." Silver patted Gray on the back. "You got it together very well."

"She was in so much pain." Gray looked at his father, pale and eyes wide. "She was hurting."

"Yes." Silver agreed. "And it'll be worse before it gets better." Gray nodded and finally controlled his breathing. "Should I… Should I leave? I will if you want me to." Silver asked, uncomfortable.

Gray thought for a moment and after a moment's hesitation, shook his head. "No. If you want to stay, stay. You said you missed a lot, right? Can't let you miss this now that you are back."

Silver looked surprised and Gray could've sworn he saw the older man tear up and blink the tears away. "Well, then. Get ready, son, because these are going to be the longest hours of your life."

**#**

Gray didn't know what he hated more: Juvia's moans of pain coming from inside the bedroom or the fact that he was useless.

It was almost dawn and the midwife had come outside only three times before, reassuring it was normal for a first delivery to be that long. Lucy was also inside and it made Gray feel better there was at least one friend in there with his wife.

At some point some guards brought chairs for them and Silver and Gray finally sat down and even when Gray told his father he could use one of the rooms to sleep if he wanted, Silver declined saying he wanted to be there for the birth of his grandchild.

The fourth time she came out, was to declare the Duchess was finally ready and it wouldn't take much longer. At that point, Gray started to walk around in circles in front of the bedroom, nervous, praying to the gods for it to be over already so he could see his wife and hold his child.

He stopped walking when he heard a rather loud groan, his heart beating so hard inside his chest and he didn't dare to breathe. Long seconds passed and then the sound of a newborn echoed through the halls of the Castle.

Gray let out a breath he had forgot he was holding at the same time his father clapped him on the back, both of them laughing, Gray didn't even care he was teary eyed when he turned to look at Silver.

"I'm a father." He was feeling so happy Gray felt he could explode.

"Yes, you are." Silver's smile was wide and he brought Gray for a tight hug.

"Holy shit. I'm a father." Gray said once Silver let go of him and he panicked. "Dad, I am a  _father_."

"And from this moment on, everything in your life will be different." Silver told his son. "The moment you see that little person, you'll promise the world. Sometimes you'll fail, but you are going to love it forever, no matter what."

"I- I-"

"It's alright to feel overwhelmed, Gray." The older man told him. "I know your world is a mess right now, but somehow everything will come to place when you look at your child. Trust me."

Gray nodded and they heard the door open. It was Lucy and she was smiling, her eyes tearful, but it was clear they were from happiness. "Come in, Gray. You have someone to meet."

With one last look to his father and after receive a nod from him, Gray stepped inside the bedroom and saw the midwife and nurse step away from the bed and his eyes focused on his wife and the bundle she was holding. Juvia's hair was in a messy plait, she looked pale but the way she looked at the baby in her arms was priceless, even if he couldn't see it properly.

"Juvia." Gray whispered and his wife finally looked away from their child to look at him.

The Duchess' smile widened and even though she was all sweaty, and really needed to sleep, she was radiant, her eyes were sparkling and she didn't even looked as if she remembered the hours of pain she went through.

"Gray-sama." Her voice was hoarse. "Come meet our daughter."

He took in a sharp breath. "Our… daughter?" Gray knew he sounded like an idiot and looked like one too, standing by the end of the bed without moving.

"Yes." Juvia's gaze returned to the bundle, her smile never faltering. "Come see her." Gray took a few steps and sat next to his wife, facing her and Juvia moved a piece of the blanket away and Gray's breath got caught in his throat. "This is your father, love. And he has been waiting to meet you like I did." The baby was still a bit dirty, but Gray fell in love at the first sight. Her hair was black, her eyes were closed but he truly hoped she got the color from her mother, her tiny nose was adorable and she was moving her mouth a bit as she seemed to be trying to get used to being outside. "Here, Gray-sama." Juvia started to pass the newborn into her father's arms and Gray quickly complied, arranging her against his chest and he looked at her mesmerized when she yawned. Juvia chuckled. "She is tired after such work today." Juvia touched her little nose.

"She's-" Gray's voice sounded constricted, but he managed to speak. "She's perfect." He looked at her little hand and started to count her fingers. "She's absolutely perfect." His eyes watered a bit and he blinked them away before looking at his wife. "Thank you, Juvia."

The Duchess smiled and kissed his lips lovingly. "What should we name her?"

Gray looked at the newborn again, under her spell. "You spent the whole night giving birth, you choose."

Juvia hummed in agreement and thought for a moment. "I was thinking Ava. It means 'life' and it brings back memories about when we found out about me expecting her. I remember Nina-san telling me that day was about hope too. And what is better than a new life to hope?"

"Ava, huh?" Gray thought about it. "What do you think about Ava Fullbuster, little girl?" For the first time the baby bothered to open one of her eyes to look at them and Gray was glad to see a shade of blue and he chuckled. "I think she agrees. Welcome to the world, then, Ava."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHE'S HEEEEEEERE! *fireworks* Finally. And I hope the thing with Silver was okay.


	20. Chapter 20

Six weeks of holding the new life her and Gray had created and Juvia still couldn’t believe Ava was real. She was so perfect, so amazing Juvia could keep looking at her for hours and not get slightly bored. Everything Ava did fascinated Juvia, to her cute frown when she was waking up to her cooing sounds when she was happy.

“Let’s go find your Daddy, sweetheart.” Juvia whispered to the baby and kissed her forehead. Ava had woken up after her afternoon nap, had her diaper changed and Juvia had stayed in the rocking chair at the nursery for a while. “Faye?” Juvia called the nurse, a woman in her forties with light blonde hair and hazel eyes, a bit on the heavy side and with a very kind heart. She had two children of her own, but they were already grown up and the older woman was fantastic with babies and shared a lot of tips. “Juvia will take this little one to see her father otherwise he will work all day long and worry about the meeting today.”

“Of course, Lady Juvia.” Faye nodded and smiled gently. “I will prepare the Little Lady’s bath so she can meet all the other Lords all fancy.”

“Thank you.” Juvia said and walked out of the nursery. She was trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Ava would actually need to stay in the nursery during the night eventually, but so far she was still choosing to have her bassinet next to hers and her husband’s bed. Gray, thankfully, didn’t mind the infant sleeping there and took care of Ava during the night as well.

Faye had explained to her that as a first-time mother, it was normal for her to be overprotective of her baby. Juvia had tried to spend a night away a few days before, but ended up checking on the nursery four times during the night, the night nurse reassured her every time that Ava was fine, but Juvia couldn’t help but to worry and didn’t sleep. Besides, she chose to breastfeed on her own and needed to go feed Ava.

“How is the Little Lady?” Gajeel caught up to her when she was almost on the stairwell and Juvia smiled at the nickname people gave Ava: The Little Lady. A few minutes after Gray saw Ava, he told the guards to ring the bells and let the people know the Duchess had given birth to a little girl and the nickname started.

“Perfect as always.” She answered and saw her friend peek at the baby, he still hadn’t been brave enough to hold her but Juvia knew he already loved her.

“I gotta admit she looks better than other babies.” Gajeel shrugged and stepped beside the Duchess while they went down the stairs. “She’s not too wrinkled now.”

“Will you let go?” Juvia chuckled, remembering the first time Gajeel had saw Ava and said she was too wrinkled.

They stayed in silence for a few seconds. “I just got word Jose’s ship arrived.” Gajeel informed. “Are you alright with seeing him?”

“Of course.” Juvia agreed. “All the Lords are coming here tonight to meet Ava, Jose coming here is only natural as well, he said in his letters that he looked forward to meet the baby once I delivered.”

“Just… I don’t know, he hasn’t seen you in a while.” Gajeel told her. “You changed a lot since you became the Duchess. Remember that when you meet him.”

“Don’t worry, Gajeel-kun.” Juvia smiled down to her daughter. “Juvia can handle him.”

“Alright.” He nodded and they stayed in silence until they reached Gray’s office. He knocked on the door for her and waited until they heard the Duke’s voice saying to come in. Gajeel opened the door and held it so Juvia could get in.

“Thank you.” Juvia smiled to her friend and stepped inside the office, noting the men around Gray’s desk and her husband were standing and all of them turned to look at her when she was in. “I’m sorry to interrupt.”

“We need a recess either way.” Gray said, looking at the men. “I will call you back later.” The older men bowed in Gray’s direction and started to walk away, bowing in front of Juvia as well and some of them even stopped for a moment to look at the infant and once they were alone, Gray kissed Juvia’s lips. “Hello.” Juvia smiled and Gray and looked down to the baby. “And hello to you, Ava.” Juvia passed the little girl to her father, Gray kissed Ava’s soft black hair and she yawned. “I can see she’s having a tough day.”

“Very.” Juvia giggled and caressed the chubby cheek with a finger. “Sleeping, eating and pooping all day long can be tough.”

“I bet.” Gray snorted and started to walk when Ava fussed. “Are you ready for tonight?”

“I am.” Juvia said. “It will be the first time Juvia will meet most of the other Lords since they pretty much refused to come to the Outside Wedding but it’s their duty to come here and pay their respects to you and Ava.” She sighed. “I am not expecting them to be happy to see me, but I expect them to be polite at least.”

“They will regret if they aren’t.” Gray’s face became dark but his eyes softened when he looked to their daughter. “I will be there with you at all times and I won’t let anything happen to you or her.”

Juvia smiled. “I know.” Gray leaned and kissed her on the lips. “We should get ready in a few minutes; Faye was going to prepare a bath for her so Ava looks her best tonight.”

“She’ll easily be the most beautiful in there.” The Duke said and smirked at his wife. “You are a close second, though.”

“Juvia thinks she can deal being second if the first is this cute.” The blunette giggled and rested her head on his shoulder. “We’ve had her for a little over a month and sometimes I still can’t believe she is real.”

“Except when it’s the middle of the night and she’s wailing.” Gray joked and Juvia hit him on the shoulder playfully. “I know what you mean.” He swayed the baby a bit. “I look at her and see you and me in her. She has my hair, your eyes and I wonder what she will be like when she grows up.”

“We’ll teach her to be the best version of herself.” Juvia told him. “You know, I’ve always missed my mother even though I have no memory of her, but now after being a mother myself I am sad because of all the things she missed. I can’t even think about missing her life.”

“You won’t.” Gray said with certainty. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“Juvia is not worried.” The Duchess told her husband. “Everything will be fine, but Juvia needs to go get ready: Jose’s ship arrived and I want to show Ava to him.”

“Alright.” Gray kissed the baby’s forehead one more time and gave her back to Juvia. “I’ll go get ready soon as well, I just need to finish here.” He kissed Juvia on the lips. “I’ll go find you when it’s time for us to go to the main hall.”

**#**

“Master Jose!” Juvia said, excited, when she saw the older man step inside the library where Juvia had asked for a maid to bring Ava’s bassinet. She smiled and went to hug the man who had been a surrogate father to her. “It’s been a long time.”

It had been more than a year since she had seen him and he looked just about the same, lean, tall and with his dark eyes.

“Juvia.” It was his way of greeting, alongside with patting her on the back awkwardly.

“How was the trip here?” The Duchess asked after she let go of him. “Juvia gets sick every time she has to step in a boat, but it is much quicker to travel that way.”

“The trip was fine.” Jose said and stared at her, stern. “I see you still talk about yourself in third person.”

The blunette looked down, like a child being reprimanded. “Juv- I slip into the habit some times.” She cleared her throat. “Now come, you need to meet Ava.” She smiled and grabbed Jose’s hand, pulling him towards the bassinet, that was next to the comfortable chairs in front of the fireplace.

The older man let himself be conducted there and waited patiently as Juvia bent over the bassinet and carefully picked up the infant. Ava was awake, but quiet and Juvia gave her a kiss on the forehead when she had her in her arms.

“Master Jose, this is Ava.” Juvia smiled widely as she stepped next to him. “She is just a few weeks old but already the light of this castle.”

“Hm.” It was Jose’s answer and Juvia’s smile faltered; it wasn’t the reaction she expected at all.

The first time Silver saw his grandchild, he just couldn’t kept smiling and looking to the baby. Juvia even saw him drying a tear or two while he talked to the newborn, but no emotion appeared in Jose’s face.

Of course, she wasn’t expecting him to weep at the sight of the baby, or even to want to carry Ava, but she expected more than just a grunt in acknowledgement and when Juvia looked up at him, Jose had his brows drawn together.

“Is something wrong?” Juvia asked, confused at his reaction.

“A _girl,_ Juvia?” Jose said in disapproval and Juvia felt her whole body freeze at his tone. “You were supposed to give the Duke an heir.”

Surprised with his reaction, the Duchess held her daughter closer to her chest as if to protect her from his words. “I _did_ give him an heir and her name is Ava.”

“Men want to have _sons_ , Juvia, to carry out their names; especially Lords, and you give him a _girl_.” He said the word as if it was some disgusting insult. “Do you know that by the old laws a man can break a marriage if his wife doesn’t give him a male heir to further his bloodline?”

“Women can inherit now.”

“It _doesn’t_ matter, Juvia!” Jose was clearly upset and his voice rose. “Your husband could send you back to the March tomorrow if he wants and most of the Lords would agree; they follow the old laws, I’m sure they would follow this one too.”

“Gray-sama would never sent us away-” Juvia tried, but was interrupted.

“You don’t know the pressure a Lord can get to produce a male heir. He might crack under it and I suggest you work on getting pregnant again soon and with a boy.” Jose’s tone was cold. “If you don’t, you might lose your positon as the Duchess.” He looked down to the baby in her arms and back to her. “Give him a _proper heir_ , one he will be proud of, other than one that won’t worth much other than marriage alliances when she grows up.”

Juvia could feel her heart beating faster, her hands were sweating and she felt sick. Jose was speaking of Ava as if she was a mistake, as if she shouldn’t have been born and if she had no right to be there.

It didn’t matter to Juvia the slightest that Ava was a girl, her baby was so innocent, so perfect and loved; but Jose’s words were so full of hatred and disgust she felt a ball of anger inside her chest get bigger and bigger.

“Get out.” Juvia told him.

Jose looked at her in surprise. “ _What?_ ”

“ _Get. Out_.” The Duchess snarled and spoke louder. “Right now, get out.”

“You have no right to-”

“Oh, but I do. I have every right.” Juvia could feel her eyes sting as she teared up with how much she wanted him gone, with how angry she was. “This is _my_ home and I am the Duchess of this land. You can’t come in here, insult my daughter and tell me she is worthless. Get out _right now_.” She was almost screaming by the end and Ava started to fuss in her arms. “If you don’t leave, I’ll tell the guards to escort you out and you don’t want _that_.”

“Juvia-” Jose looked very affronted.

“ _NOW!_ ” She finally yelled and he took a step away, his eyes wide. Ava finally started wailing with her mother’s scream and two guards entered the library, looking worried.

“Lady Juvia? Is everything alright?” One of the guards asked, concerned.

“He is leaving.” She said between gritted teeth without taking her eyes away from Jose. “Whether he wants to or not.” Juvia gave him a choice to leave on his own or to let the guards escort him out.

Jose cleared his throat and his face became impassive again. “I will leave.” He was clearly angry at her as well, but Juvia didn’t care. “You changed a lot, Juvia.”

“Good. Now leave.” She told him, hoping he’d leave before she started crying.

He straightened his posture and bowed just a little in her direction, as etiquette required, turned around and left with the guards hot on his heels after they received a nod from Juvia.

The moment she was alone with her daughter in the library, Juvia finally let her tears fall and tried to calm the baby down. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Oh, mommy is sorry she scared you, alright?” She kissed Ava’s soft black hair. “Mommy is very sorry.” She whispered over and over again for a few minutes until Ava’s cries turned into soft whimpers. “That’s it, love, mommy is here with you.”

Juvia was moving Ava in her arms, just looking at her and her anger towards Jose was slowly vanishing, being replaced with love and protective instincts. “You are my perfect little girl, Ava.” Juvia whispered to her daughter. “I wouldn’t change you for a thing in the world, alright?” She knew the baby couldn’t understand her, but she needed to voice her feelings. “I don’t care if everyone else wanted you to be a boy, you are perfect just the way you are. I love you more than anything in the world and that will never change.”

She was so distracted she failed to hear the door opening, but turned around when she heard her husband’s voice. “Juvia? The guards told me-” The moment Gray saw her crying face, his eyes widened and he walked her way with quick strides. “What happened? Are you alright? And Ava?” He put an arm around Juvia’s shoulders and looked down to their child, she seemed to be fine, but Juvia was still crying. “Juvia, tell me what happened, you are scaring me.”

“A-are you disappointed Ava is a girl?” Juvia asked between sobs.

“What?” Gray was confused. “Of course I’m not disappointed Ava’s a girl, she’s perfect.” His words only made Juvia cry harder and hide her face on his chest. “Shit, Juvia, please don’t cry.” He caressed her hair and brought her to a hug, careful to leave enough space between their bodies for the baby in her arms. “You know I love Ava, Juvia.”

“I know.” The Duchess managed to say when she stopped hiding her face. “But did you want her to be a boy?”

Gray didn’t understand what was happening, it was the first time Juvia even brought the subject. “I wanted for us to have a healthy baby, I never cared about being a boy or a girl.”

“Don’t you want an heir?” Juvia sniffled.

“I have an heir.” He frowned and put a hand on Ava’s head – the baby had her blue eyes looking up at him and was very quiet, Gray felt a wave of love hit him. “What this is about, Juvia?” His gaze went to his wife, who was watching him. “You didn’t seem concerned about this at all before. Why now?”

Juvia tried to dry her cheeks. “Jose was here. He said men, especially Lords, wanted male heirs and I-I-I gave you a girl, said Ava was worthless beside marriages alliances in the future.” She sobbed. “He said there’s an old law that says a man can leave his wife if she doesn’t provide him with a b-boy.”

Gray’s jaw clenched with her words and he wanted to punch Jose. He never liked the man but his words to Juvia were downright evil and Gray just needed one opportunity to put Jose down to his position of scum.

“Juvia, don’t believe a word he said.” Gray put his hands on Juvia’s cheeks to make her look at him, her eyes were puffed with how much she cried and his need to punch Jose became even bigger. “You are my wife; Ava is my daughter and neither of you are going anywhere without me. I love you and I love Ava more than anything and if anyone else isn’t satisfied, they can go to hell.” Gray told her. “If we only have Ava as a child, I would still be the happiest man alive. If we have more children, I will love them equally.”

“What if we only have girls?” The blunette asked in a whisper, feeling slightly better but her voice shook.

“Then we only have girls.” Gray shrugged. “I told you I don’t care about gender, Juvia. I wasn’t even supposed to be Duke: I was born the son of a farmer and his wife who happened to be the daughter of a Duke. As far as we know, Ava or any of other our other children won’t want to rule and the Duchy will go back to Lyon’s descendants.” He sighed. “We never know what is going to happen.”

“Are you sure-?” She asked, quietly.

“ _Yes._ ” He said with certainty. “You two are my family and wherever you two go, I go, so no, I won’t use any crazy old law to send you away and if you leave, I’ll go after you, understand?” Juvia nodded and Gray gave her a sweet kiss. “I wouldn’t change a thing about us, Juvia, and certainly not about Ava.”

“I wouldn’t either.” Juvia told her husband. “I’m sorry I-”

“It’s alright.” Gray brought her back for a hug. “Those words came from a man you trusted and it confused you, but you can’t fall for that anymore.” He looked right into her eyes to get his point across. “Trust _me._ ”

“I do.” The Duchess said without hesitation.

“Good. And if I see Jose, I swear to the gods I will-” He closed his hands in fists.

“No.” Juvia shook her head. “Don’t. He doesn’t know better, doesn’t know _us_.” Juvia looked down to their daughter and watched as Gray touched her chubby cheek. “As long as both of us love her, she will be fine no matter what.”

“Of course she will.” Gray smiled when Ava grabbed his finger. “She is the best combination of us.”

**#**

“Oh, good. She looks like you, Juvia. I am relieved she didn’t get her looks from _him._ ” Juvia chuckled with Lyon’s words while her husband rolled his eyes.

Lyon had arrived just a few minutes before and was more than excited to meet his new cousin and to Juvia’s delight, he really seemed to be enjoying have Ava on his arms. “You are such a pretty little thing, Ava.” The white-haired man commented, cooing to the baby, not concerned at all there were two tables full of Lords and Ladies paying attention to them. “Your father will be crazy in a few years when you are old enough to get married, it will be _so fun_ for me to watch.”

“She’s not even two months old yet.” Gray frowned in annoyance. “Let’s hold off marriage arrangements until she’s thirty.”

Lyon winked at Juvia after Gray’s words and the Duchess had to put a hand over her mouth to hide her giggles, but her husband heard them and he took Ava from Lyon’s arms. “Shut up.”

“And you, Juvia. Lovely as always.” Lyon stepped closer to the Duchess and kissed her cheek. “Have you considered at all leaving my good for nothing cousin to-”

Gray interrupted him. “Lyon, step away from my wife.” He narrowed his eyes and Lyon raised his hands in surrender, taking a step back. “Good, now…” He looked over his shoulder. “Dad? Come meet my cousin.”

Silver was a few steps behind them and looked a bit surprised to be called, but walked to where his son was. During the 6 weeks after Ava was born, Silver had been to the Castle every day until Gray just told him to get his things and just move in if he was going to make the trip to and from the village.

Juvia noticed Silver seemed to have gained a bit of weight and didn’t look so tired and worn out; his relationship with his son wasn’t fully healed yet, but they were slowly getting there, trusting each other more and more.

Silver, of course, fell in love with his granddaughter at the first sight and whenever he could, he’d get Ava in his arms and quietly told her about his adventures at the sea and the grandmother she would never meet. It was fascinating to watch because Ava would fixate her gaze on him and just listen to his voice.

“Lyon, this is my father.” Gray said, nodding towards Silver.

“I heard rumors, but I didn’t think it was true.” The white-haired man frowned.

“I will tell the whole story later on.” The Duke gave his cousin a look and Lyon nodded. He turned to Silver and offered him a hand.

“Lyon Vastia.” He smiled.

“Silver Fullbuster.” The older man took the hand and shook. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Lyon agreed. “I think you have a lot of catching up to do, huh?”

Silver nodded. “I’m still getting used to be a father again and now I’m also a grandfather.” He looked to Ava, who was quietly in her father’s arms and Silver’s dark eyes softened. “I just want to spoil her.”

“Just a little.” Juvia walked to her father-in-law’s side and twined her arm with his. “And only because grandparents are supposed to.”

“I can’t promise anything, Juvia-chan.” Silver smiled to the Duchess and she felt a wonderful warmth in her heart whenever he called her that, as if she was his child just as much as Gray. “She will look at me with those big blue eyes and I’ll just melt.”

“Please don’t.” Gray sighed. “Someone needs to be able to resist her.”

“That’s what mothers and fathers are for, Gray.” Lyon patted his cousin on the back. “Grandparents and uncles are supposed to do the opposite.”

“You two will be of no help.” Gray grunted and then looked to his wife. “Are you ready, Juvia?” The Duchess nodded and kissed Silver’s cheek and then Lyon’s before she stepped close to her husband, checking to see if Ava was alright, and she seemed to be dozing off, thankfully. “Let’s do this.”

Juvia straightened her body and held her chin up, ready to walk through the hall towards the table reserved for them at the great hall so they could present their daughter to the Lords. She knew most of them didn’t like she had become the Duchess, but as long as they were polite, she was going to be fine. Juvia twined her arm in a way Gray could still hold Ava and they started to walk.

The Lords and Ladies got up from their seats in respect as they walked down the aisle towards their table and most tried to have a peek of the baby in the Duke’s arms. Juvia felt better once she saw some of them smile her way and then to Ava.

“A girl!” The loud whisper caught her attention. “For generations their first born were boys and now this outsider comes and gives the Duke a girl. We shouldn’t mix up and this is the proof.”

Juvia heard the words and froze in place. She looked down to the child in her husband’s arms, so perfect and loved. Hearing another person speak of Ava as if she was worth less just because they thought she should’ve been born with another gender, physically hurt her.

Earlier that day when Jose had spoken about Ava, she had doubted Gray for two seconds after Jose had planted the seed inside her head but now she knew better.

 _No one_ would speak ill of her daughter again, no matter who it was.

Untwining her arm from Gray caught his attention and they stopped walking, the Duke looked at her confused. Juvia gave him a look, turned around and walked towards the man who had spoken, stopping in front of him.

He was looking to another man, smiling as if he had just told the best joke in the world and when said man caught her, his eyes widened and the one who had spoken about Ava finally looked at her direction, smiling and all color drained from his face once he realized who stood in from of him.

“Lady Juvia.” Both bowed and Juvia just stayed stoic, the whole hall was silent and Juvia could feel every eye was on her.

“What did you say about my daughter?” The Duchess asked in a cold tone and oddly even though she spoke quietly, everyone could hear her.

“We-” The one who had laughed at the joke was looking down to the ground. “We just-”

“We meant no harm, Lady Juvia.” The one who said the joke mumbled and he looked anywhere but in Juvia’s direction.

“It’s my understanding most of you do not like me as your Duchess and you think my husband was supposed to marry a woman from Winter.” Juvia didn’t raise her voice in the slightest, but her voice echoed on the walls. “Even so I became the Duchess. You don’t have to like me, I can’t please everyone but my daughter is the rightful heir whether you want or not and you _will_ respect her.” Juvia looked around for effect. “There were attempts to kill me even as I carried her and none of those were successful, of course, and I am not looking for revenge.

“ _But,_ ” she paused and her next words were so cold even Gray was surprised “if _anything_ happens to my daughter, even just a threat, I will see this person to be brought to justice. No one has the right to come to my home as a _guest_ ” she looked to the two men, who were staring down to the floor “and say the Duke’s heir isn’t what you wanted her to be. If anyone doesn’t agree with this, the door is open.” When no one left, Juvia nodded once. “Good.”

The Duchess walked back to where her husband was waiting for her, looking very proud, her steps echoing and when she stopped next to him, Gray looked around to the crowd.

“And there are people who say she isn’t fit to be the Duchess.” He looked pointedly to some of the Lords who were most eloquent about Juvia’s title. “I make my wife’s words my own: our daughter is your rightful heir and you will respect her or there will be consequences. She will be raised to be a good leader, just like any other heir would. I will not tolerate discrimination towards her or any other children we might have, is that clear?” Most of the people in the room nodded. “Very well. Let’s go, Juvia.” He offered his arm and they finished the walk towards the table, their chins up.

**#**

“You are spoiling her.” Juvia said with a smile when she entered the room and saw Ava sleeping on her father’s chest while he was lying on their bed, reading some letters. Gray was caressing the baby’s back and it had lulled her to sleep.

“It’s not only my father who wants to spoil her.” The Duke chuckled, put the letter away and carefully took Ava into his arms as he sat up on the bed. “I’ll put her on the bassinet.”

“No.” Juvia told her husband when he got up from the bed and Gray frowned. “I need to get used to have her in the nursery during the night. I will wake up and go see her a few times, but I have to learn to have her there.”

“Are you sure?” Gray asked and Juvia nodded. “I’ll take her, then.” Gray stopped in front of Juvia and the blunette kissed the baby and then her husband. “I will be back in a minute.”

Juvia opened the door for him and closed when he left. She took off her robe and put it on the couch before walking towards the bed, taking the letter Gray was reading, away. She gave it a quick glance and put the paper next to her robe and then climbed to bed, waiting for her husband to come back.

It took Gray just a few minutes to come back. “The night nurse is there, so there’s nothing to worry about even if you do not wake up three hundred times to check on her.” He told her once he entered the room and Juvia smiled at him. “Ava didn’t even move when I put her on her crib.”

“She was very tired.” Juvia agreed and watched her husband take off his robe and throw it next to hers, taking off his shirt as well and then his pants, only his underpants were left, and suddenly Juvia’s body seemed to have lit up.

It had been so long since they had any time alone and even longer since Gray had touched her, but seeing him half-naked like that was giving her ideas. Thankfully the doctor had come the day before to check on the Duchess and Ava and guaranteed Juvia was healed and she could be intimate with her husband if she felt like it.

She was definitely feeling like it.

“Can I tell you how great you were today?” Gray, not noticing his wife’s expression, said as he walked towards the bed and she kneeled on the edge of the bed, wrapping her arms around his shoulders when he was close enough, his hands resting on her hips. “Every Lord in the hall were only praises when they talked to me. You were impressive.”

Juvia smiled and kissed his lips. “Thank you for supporting me.”

“Well, I was afraid _I_ was going to be scolded next if I hadn’t-ow!” Juvia hit him lightly on the shoulder and then pulled him down to a deeper, slower kiss that left her whole body humming. “No jokes now” he said once their lips unlocked “you will always have my support, Juvia, especially if concerns Ava’s future.”

“That is very good to know.” The Duchess didn’t even realize her hands were traveling down his torso, just wanting to touch his warm skin. “What if Juvia wants to arrange for her to get married with Ryuu-chan-”

“She is a _baby_!” Gray cut her off and Juvia started to giggle. The moment he realized she was joking, his cheeks became pink. “Okay, so not _always_.”

“Most of the time?” She asked, kissing his cheek and down to his jaw and neck.

“Most of the time.” Gray conceded and sighed when Juvia’s kisses turned into light biting. Gray moaned and his hands went from her hips down to her butt to bring her closer and Juvia smiled into his skin. “Juvia?”

“Hm?”

“What are you doing?” He asked in a whisper, his thumbs caressing her over the fabric of her nightgown.

“Seducing you.” Juvia’s hands touched the strong muscles of his abdomen, each contracting with her touch.

“It’s working, but I thought we couldn’t. The doctor said so.” Gray said and Juvia finally looked to and she felt her want for him grow when she saw want in his dark.

“He said Juvia needed time to heal after Ava’s birth, the usual waiting period is about six weeks.” Her hands were slowly descending towards the edged of his underpants. “The doctor came here yesterday and he said Juvia is fine and if she wanted to, she could resume her activities with her husband.” Juvia slowly undid the knot of the underpants and pulled it down, her gaze never leaving Gray’s. “And I _really_ miss making love to my husband.”

“By the gods, you are going to kill me.” Gray muttered and then his lips were on hers, and only stopped to kick the underpants away in annoyance and Juvia laughed at his cuss words but stopped the moment Gray kissed her again, a hand on the back of her neck and the other on her lower back.

Gray started to pull her nightgown and regretfully they had to pause their kiss for a moment so Juvia could raise her arms to help him take the garment off. She watched him throw it over his shoulder and their lips met again.

Juvia giggled when she finally lied down on the bed with Gray on top of her and Gray kissed her neck, and the sound turned into a moan when one of his hands went to her breast, massaging it. When Gray pinched her nipple, though, she hissed in pain and Gray stopped immediately, cutting the kiss.

“Juvia?” His eyes were wide and he was clearly worried. “Did I hurt you?” She shook her head and Gray scowled. “Don’t lie to me.”

The blunette put a hand on his cheek. “Just be gentle until we figure out what changed after I had Ava? I heard things go back to normal after a while, but now…”

“Or course.” Gray nodded. “Tell me if I’m being too rough.” Juvia smiled and brought him for another kiss. Juvia’s hands went to his hair when he started to kiss her cleavage and then between her breasts, his eyes on her to make sure he wasn’t hurting her.

After slowly kissing the side of her breast, Gray put one nipple inside his mouth and thankfully didn’t hurt, and only when his teeth scraped her, Juvia moaned. She just couldn’t understand the new quirks of her body.

Gray’s hand slid between her legs and Juvia arched with just a quick brush of his fingers on her sex, and it surprised her. Apparently, her breasts were less sensitive to his touch, but she became much more sensitive down between her legs.

Seeing her reaction to his fingers, Gray smiled, changing his mouth to her other breast and slowly entered one finger inside her, then another, moving them inside slowly to get her higher until he could take her. His thumb caressed the bundle of nerves on top of her sex and Juvia actually squealed when he touched it.

“Gray-sama!” She breathed a moan.

“I missed hearing you saying my name like this.” Gray kissed her lips while his fingers worked in and out of her until he found the spot that made her clench around him, her mouth in an ‘o’ shape. “Hang on, Juvia.”

“Oh.” Juvia moaned as it seemed Gray touched every single nerve of hers. “Gray-sama.” Juvia whined a few moments later when she was losing her mind. “I need you.”

“Damn it.” Gray muttered removing his fingers from inside her and kissed her on the lips in a way that made her toes curl. He was on top of her and Juvia could feel his shaft sliding on her sex and even though it felt really good, she needed something else.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Juvia breathed and Gray stopped moving.

“What is it? Did I do something wrong?” He looked down to where they met.

“No.” She shook her head. “But…. Uh…”

He stared at her eyes. “Tell me.”

The blunette bit her lower lip because of how much she wanted him and how embarrassed she was going to be with her next words. “Juvia was told she might still be… tender… _down there_.” She could feel her cheeks get even warmer. “And maybe if I was… gods, this is embarrassing, but if I was on the top…” She let the sentence in the air bur Gray caught her meaning.

“You can set the rhythm and pretty much everything else.” He nodded, clearly eager to please her. “Alright.”

She blinked, slightly surprised. “Really? You don’t mind?”

“Seeing my wife naked on top of me and getting her own pleasure?” Gray rolled to his back, bringing Juvia with him and the Duchess let out a squeal of surprise and when she looked down to Gray, his eyes were dark with want and his hands rested on her ass, moving her on top of him to get some friction. “I _really_ don’t mind.”

Juvia nodded and kissed him tenderly. “I love you.”

“And I love you.” Since the first time, Gray was more comfortable with telling her his feelings for her and every time her eyes watered. Their next kiss was fast to ignite her need for him again, his work with his fingers just a few moments ago still making her lower half melt for him.

The blunette kissed his chest while her other hand traveled between them and she licked one of his nipples at the same time her hand curled around his shaft and Gray’s loud moan was music to Juvia’s ears.

“Oh, dear gods.” Gray muttered as Juvia slowly moved her hand a few times. “Juvia, please.” Juvia nodded and she positioned herself on top of him, a hand on his chest for support. She hesitated when she felt the nudge of him in her sex and Gray sensed it. “Juvia, look at me.” Her blue eyes met his dark ones and her heart beat faster with how intensely he was looking at her. “Go on.”

Slowly Juvia sank on his shaft and she closed her eyes to appreciate the feeling one she was full. She didn’t feel pain at all, thankfully and when she opened her eyes, she saw that Gray had bit his lower lip and realized his hands were in her hips, holding her tight.

“Gray-sama.” Juvia said, leaning a bit making the angle shift and she gasped in response, to which Gray opened his eyes.

“Does it hurt?” Gray asked and when Juvia shook her head, he sighed in relief. “Good. Good. Now…” He didn’t elaborate but Juvia knew what he wanted because it was what she wanted as well. Slowly she moved her hips up and then down on him and his hands tightened on her hips.

Juvia watched Gray’s expression and she could understand why he liked to keep his eyes on her when they had made love and it made her smile. Trying to find another angle, Juvia leaned a bit towards him and suddenly every time she moved, there was a brush in a special place inside her that sent her sparks inside her.

“I missed this.” Gray said in a groan and then he looked up to his wife. “You feel so good, Juvia.”

“You too.” Juvia kissed him and she could feel the build-up inside her, the need to get her pleasure getting stronger and she moved faster, her forehead rested on Gray’s and one of his hands left her hips to her breast and he rolled her nipple between his fingers gently, obviously remembering hurting her earlier. “Oh, like that.” Juvia whispered.

Gray kissed her and Juvia’s mind started to focus on only getting her pleasure, her movements turning unsynchronized but Gray let go of her breast to put his hand back on her hip and helped her return to a rhythm and Juvia could feel that wonderful ball of pleasure being built in her lower stomach.

It was swirling inside, she could feel it boiling, just waiting for that final push.

Juvia slid her hand between them and touched the bundle of nerves and she moaned loudly when she started rubbing on it.

“Fuck, Juvia.” Gray whispered and Juvia saw that his eyes were focusing on where they were connected and then he looked back at her and perhaps he could see she just needed a little push to go over the edge, just a little something.

Gray’s mouth closed on her nipple, sucking it gently and Juvia was falling into pleasure, her whole body tightening with the sensation and she could hear herself being really loud, but really didn’t care, not when a second later she heard Gray’s groan and then him emptying himself inside her.

She felt her muscles were liquid and she knew she needed to get off of top of Gray, but she couldn’t gather the energy, not when she was still trying to breathe properly and so was he. There was a thundering sound coming from Gray’s chest and Juvia frowned when his chest moved underneath her. It took a lot of energy from her to lift her head to look at him and she saw her husband laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

Gray looked at her, his eyes sparkling in delight and he looked like the young man he was instead of the Duke with a hundred things to solve. “I just realized I am happy.” He looked at her. “ _Completely_ happy. I have good lands with good people, my friends are great, my father is back to my life, my cousin and I are in speaking terms again, I am the father of the most perfect little girl and my wife is so amazing she made me love her.” Gray laughed again. “Shit, I _am_ happy.”

Juvia smiled at his excitement and kissed him slowly. “I am happy too.”

“Thank you.” He cupped her cheek with one hand. “Thank you for helping me get here.”

“Thank you for giving me the chance to.” Juvia told him with tears in her eyes. “I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“Me neither.” Gray’s eyes softened as he looked at her.

Juvia was about to say something else when she felt her breasts started to leak as they usually did when she didn’t feed Ava for too long. “Oh no.” Juvia moaned in shame, put her arm across her breasts and she rolled away from the top of her husband, his shaft finally sliding off of her and Gray was looking at her with a frown on his face. “Damn it.”

“What is wrong?” The Duke asked, concerned.

“My breasts are leaking.” Juvia could feel her cheeks get hot. “Can you please hand me some cloth?” Gray nodded and reached for a small towel that usually stayed on the bedside table. He gave it to Juvia and she covered her breasts with it, trying to dry them. “I’m sorry to ruin the moment.” She mumbled.

Gray snorted and rolled his eyes. “This didn’t ruin the moment, Juvia. You are a mother now, with a mother’s body and functions.” He checked on the towel. “Do you need another? Or for me to get Ava?”

“No, I think it’s stopping.” She looked down. “It probably has something to do with…” If possible, her cheeks felt even hotter. “Making love. I fed Ava before I gave her to you so I could take a bath. This shouldn’t be happening.”

Gray’s smile made Juvia’s heart skip a beat. “I’ll make sure to have a towel close by just in case this happens again.”

“Thank you.” Juvia kissed him and couldn’t believe the emotional ride she had that day. She hoped the next time she saw Jose he had learned that Ava was not less loved for being a girl. She had earned some respect from the Lords, her husband had been the most supportive man and she couldn’t believe her luck.

She couldn’t be happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHE'S HEEEEEEERE! *fireworks* Finally. And I hope the thing with Silver was okay.


End file.
